| emergence of usutu virus, an african mosquito-borne flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus group, central europe. | during late summer 2001 in austria, a series of deaths in several species of birds occurred, similar to the beginning of the west nile virus (wnv) epidemic in the united states. we necropsied the dead birds and examined them by various methods; pathologic and immunohistologic investigations suggested a wnv infection. subsequently, the virus was isolated, identified, partially sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. the isolates exhibited 97% identity to usutu virus (usuv), a mosquito- ... | 2002 | 12095429 |
| serological evidence of west nile virus, usutu virus and sindbis virus infection of birds in the uk. | the introduction and rapid dispersal of the african flavivirus west nile virus (wnv) throughout north america, and the high fatality rate due to encephalitis in birds, horses, other wildlife species and humans, has attracted major attention worldwide. usutu virus, another flavivirus, came to prominence in 2001, when it was identified as the agent responsible for a drop in the bird population in austria; previously this encephalitic virus was found only in birds and mosquitoes in africa. sindbis ... | 2003 | 13679615 |
| the isolation of west nile virus from man and of usutu virus from the bird-biting mosquito mansonia aurites (theobald) in the entebbe area of uganda. | | 1964 | 14212897 |
| serological evidence of west nile virus (wnv) in mammalian species in turkey. | in this study, the sera collected from a variety of mammalian species (ass-mules, cat, cattle, dog, horse, human and sheep) in 10 representative provinces of turkey, were surveyed for the presence of neutralizing antibodies to west nile virus (wnv). overall, 1 of 40 (2.5%) ass-mules, 4 of 100 (4%) cattle, 43 of 114 (37.7%) dogs, 35 of 259 (13.5%) horses, 18 of 88 (20.4%) humans and 1 of 100 (1%) sheep, tested positive for wnv-neutralizing antibodies. the results indicate that a wide range of mam ... | 2006 | 16316496 |
| potential arbovirus emergence and implications for the united kingdom. | arboviruses have evolved a number of strategies to survive environmental challenges. this review examines the factors that may determine arbovirus emergence, provides examples of arboviruses that have emerged into new habitats, reviews the arbovirus situation in western europe in detail, discusses potential arthropod vectors, and attempts to predict the risk for arbovirus emergence in the united kingdom. we conclude that climate change is probably the most important requirement for the emergence ... | 2006 | 16704800 |
| possible ecology and epidemiology of medically important mosquito-borne arboviruses in great britain. | nine different arboviruses are known to be transmitted by, or associated with, mosquitoes in europe, and several (west nile, sindbis and tahyna viruses) are reported to cause outbreaks of human disease. although there have been no reported human cases in great britain (gb), there have been no published in-depth serological surveys for evidence of human infection. this paper investigates the ecological and entomological factors that could influence or restrict transmission of these viruses in gb, ... | 2007 | 16893487 |
| detection of seroconversion to west nile virus, usutu virus and sindbis virus in uk sentinel chickens. | we previously reported evidence of west nile virus (wnv) circulation in uk birds, probably introduced by migratory birds from overseas. we now demonstrate wnv-specific seroconversion in sentinel chickens raised on an english farm. maternal neutralizing antibodies to wnv in hatchlings declined within three weeks. during the following months, healthy chickens developed wnv neutralizing antibodies that were confirmed by immunoblotting and indirect immunofluorescence tests using wnv antigens. the pr ... | 2006 | 16952307 |
| development of multiplex real-time reverse transcriptase pcr assays for detecting eight medically important flaviviruses in mosquitoes. | a multiplex real-time reverse transcriptase pcr has been developed for the rapid detection and identification of eight medically important flaviviruses from laboratory-reared, virus-infected mosquito pools. the method used involves the gene-specific amplification of yellow fever virus (yfv), japanese encephalitis virus (jev), west nile virus (wnv), st. louis encephalitis virus (slev), and dengue virus (denv) serotypes 1 to 4 (denv-1 to denv-4, respectively) by use of the flavivirus consensus amp ... | 2007 | 17108075 |
| use of sentinel chickens to study the transmission dynamics of west nile virus in a sahelian ecosystem. | during the 2003 rainy season, a follow-up survey in sentinel chickens was undertaken to assess the seasonal transmission of west nile virus (wnv) in a sahelian ecosystem: the ferlo (senegal). the estimated incidence rate in chickens was 14% (95% ci 7-29), with a very low level of transmission between july and september, and a transmission peak occurring between september and october. comparing these results with the estimate obtained from a previous transversal serological study performed on hor ... | 2008 | 17559695 |
| seroconversion in wild birds and local circulation of west nile virus, spain. | a serosurvey for neutralizing antibodies against west nile virus (wnv) in common coots (fulica atra) was conducted in doñana, spain. antibody prevalence was highest in 2003, intermediate in 2004, and lowest in 2005. some birds seroreverted <1 year after first capture. seroconversion of birds suggests local circulation of the virus. | 2007 | 18258046 |
| sindbis virus infection in resident birds, migratory birds, and humans, finland. | sindbis virus (sinv), a mosquito-borne virus that causes rash and arthritis, has been causing outbreaks in humans every seventh year in northern europe. to gain a better understanding of sinv epidemiology in finland, we searched for sinv antibodies in 621 resident grouse, whose population declines have coincided with human sinv outbreaks, and in 836 migratory birds. we used hemagglutination-inhibition and neutralization tests for the bird samples and enzyme immunoassays and hemagglutination-inhi ... | 2008 | 18258075 |
| orthomyxo-, paramyxo- and flavivirus infections in wild waterfowl in finland. | screening wild birds for viral pathogens has become increasingly important. we tested a screening approach based on blood and cloacal and tracheal swabs collected by hunters to study the prevalence of influenza a, paramyxo-, flavi-, and alphaviruses in finnish wild waterfowl, which has been previously unknown. we studied 310 blood samples and 115 mixed tracheal and cloacal swabs collected from hunted waterfowl in 2006. samples were screened by rt-pcr and serologically by hemagglutination inhibit ... | 2008 | 18307758 |
| usutu virus sequences in culex pipiens (diptera: culicidae), spain. | | 2008 | 18439389 |
| fundamental issues in mosquito surveillance for arboviral transmission. | marked spatiotemporal variabilities in mosquito infection of arboviruses, exemplified by the transmission of west nile virus (wnv) in america, require adaptive strategies for mosquito sampling, pool screening and data analyses. currently there is a lack of reliable and consistent measures of risk exposure, which may compromise comparison of surveillance data. based on quantitative reasoning, we critically examined fundamental issues regarding mosquito sampling design and estimation of transmissi ... | 2008 | 18466940 |
| emergence of usutu virus in hungary. | in 2001, usutu virus (usuv), a mosquito-borne flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus serogroup related to west nile virus and previously restricted to sub-saharan africa, emerged in wild and zoo birds in and around vienna, austria. in order to monitor the spread of the infection, a dead bird surveillance program was established in austria and in neighboring hungary. in hungary, 332 dead birds belonging to 52 species were tested for usuv infection between 2003 and 2006. in the first 2 year ... | 2007 | 17913929 |
| serological evidence of continuing high usutu virus (flaviviridae) activity and establishment of herd immunity in wild birds in austria. | usutu virus (usuv), family flaviviridae, has been responsible for avian mortality in austria from 2001 to 2006. the proportion of usuv-positive individuals among the investigated dead birds decreased dramatically after 2004. to test the hypothesis that establishment of herd immunity might be responsible, serological examinations of susceptible wild birds were performed. blood samples of 442 wild birds of 55 species were collected in 4 consecutive years (2003--2006). in addition, 86 individuals f ... | 2008 | 17869454 |
| impact of climate change and other factors on emerging arbovirus diseases. | while some skeptics remain unconvinced that global climate change is a reality, there is no doubt that during the past 50 years or so, patterns of emerging arbovirus diseases have changed significantly. can this be attributed to climate change? climate is a major factor in determining: (1) the geographic and temporal distribution of arthropods; (2) characteristics of arthropod life cycles; (3) dispersal patterns of associated arboviruses; (4) the evolution of arboviruses; and (5) the efficiency ... | 2009 | 18799177 |
| detection of rna from a novel west nile-like virus and high prevalence of an insect-specific flavivirus in mosquitoes in the yucatan peninsula of mexico. | as part of our ongoing surveillance efforts for west nile virus (wnv) in the yucatan peninsula of mexico, 96,687 mosquitoes collected from january through december 2007 were assayed by virus isolation in mammalian cells. three mosquito pools caused cytopathic effect. two isolates were orthobunyaviruses (cache valley virus and kairi virus) and the identity of the third infectious agent was not determined. a subset of mosquitoes was also tested by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (r ... | 2009 | 19141845 |
| west nile virus circulation detected in northern italy in sentinel chickens. | ninety percent (56/62) of sentinel chickens introduced to two regions within the italian alps seroconverted to west nile virus (wnv) during the summer of 2005, showing a range of antibody titres from 1/20 to 1/320 in a virus neutralization test. neutralization specificity for wnv antibodies was confirmed on an additional 34 sera that were tested in parallel against wnv (16/34 seropositivity), usutu virus (3/34 seropositivity) and koutango virus. the geometric mean neutralizing titre (gmt) calcul ... | 2007 | 17767411 |
| serologic evidence of west nile virus infections in wild birds captured in germany. | to assess the risk of acquiring a west nile virus (wnv) infection in germany, we investigated samples from migrating and from resident birds. because of their stay in or migration through wnv-endemic regions, these birds are at risk to become infected with wnv. blood samples from 3,399 birds, representing 87 bird species, were collected in germany in 2000 and in 2002-2005. overall, 53 birds belonging to 5 species had wnv-neutralizing antibodies. fifty-nine birds belonging to 9 species were react ... | 2007 | 17690413 |
| theoretical study of the usutu virus helicase 3d structure, by means of computer-aided homology modelling. | background: usutu virus belongs to the flaviviridae viral family and constitutes an important pathogen. the viral helicase is an ideal target for inhibitor design, since this enzyme is essential for the survival, proliferation and transmission of the virus. results: towards a drug-design approach, the 3d model of the usutu virus helicase structure has been designed, using conventional homology modelling techniques and the known 3d-structure of the murray valley encephalitis virus helicase, of th ... | 2009 | 19555498 |
| characterization of a novel flavivirus from mosquitoes in northern europe that is related to mosquito-borne flaviviruses of the tropics. | a novel flavivirus was isolated from mosquitoes in finland, representing the first mosquito-borne flavivirus from northern europe. the isolate, designated lammi virus (lamv), was antigenically cross-reactive with other flaviviruses and exhibited typical flavivirus morphology as determined by electron microscopy. the genomic sequence of lamv was highly divergent from the recognized flaviviruses, and yet the polyprotein properties resembled those of mosquito-borne flaviviruses. phylogenetic analys ... | 2009 | 19570865 |
| virus-host coevolution: common patterns of nucleotide motif usage in flaviviridae and their hosts. | virus-host biological interaction is a continuous coevolutionary process involving both host immune system and viral escape mechanisms. flaviviridae family is composed of fast evolving rna viruses that infects vertebrate (mammals and birds) and/or invertebrate (ticks and mosquitoes) organisms. these host groups are very distinct life forms separated by a long evolutionary time, so lineage-specific anti-viral mechanisms are likely to have evolved. flaviviridae viruses which infect a single host l ... | 2009 | 19617912 |
| structural bases for substrate recognition and activity in meaban virus nucleoside-2'-o-methyltransferase. | viral methyltransferases are involved in the mrna capping process, resulting in the transfer of a methyl group from s-adenosyl-l-methionine to capped rna. two groups of methyltransferases (mtases) are known: (guanine-n7)-methyltransferases (n7mtases), adding a methyl group onto the n7 atom of guanine, and (nucleoside-2'-o-)-methyltransferases (2'omtases), adding a methyl group to a ribose hydroxyl. we have expressed and purified two constructs of meaban virus (mv; genus flavivirus) ns5 protein m ... | 2007 | 17473012 |
| monitoring of usutu virus activity and spread by using dead bird surveillance in austria, 2003-2005. | usutu virus has been causing avian mortality in austria since its emergence in 2001. between 2003 and 2005 a total of 504 dead birds were examined by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry for the presence of usutu virus nucleic acid and antigen, respectively. in 2003, 92 birds (out of 177 birds) belonging to five different species were positive, while in 2004, only 11 (of 224) birds, and in 2005, 4 (of 103) birds proved positive, all of which were blackbirds (t ... | 2007 | 17346908 |
| lineage 1 and 2 strains of encephalitic west nile virus, central europe. | two different west nile virus (wnv) strains caused lethal encephalitis in a flock of geese and a goshawk in southeastern hungary in 2003 and 2004, respectively. during the outbreak in geese, 14 confirmed human cases of wnv encephalitis and meningitis were reported in the same area. sequencing of complete genomes of both wnv strains and phylogenetic analyses showed that the goose-derived strain exhibits closest genetic relationship to strains isolated in 1998 in israel and to the strain that emer ... | 2006 | 16704810 |
| limited pathogenicity of usutu virus for the domestic goose (anser anser f. domestica) following experimental inoculation. | usutu virus (usuv) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus group, which has been associated with avian mortality in austria since 2001. the affected birds are predominantly eurasian blackbirds (turdus merula). in the present study, the pathogenicity of usuv for domestic geese (anser anser f. domestica) was investigated. eleven 2-week-old geese were inoculated intramuscularly with 5 x 10(4) 50% tissue culture infectious dose of usuv strain vienna-2001 blackbird. no clini ... | 2006 | 16629984 |
| antigenic analysis of nigerian strains of west nile virus by neutralization test. | employing neutralization tests, eight nigerian strains of west nile virus were investigated to determine antigenic relationships among them. one virus strain differed so significantly from the others and was later found to be a strain of usutu virus. the other seven strains were differentiated into two serological intratypic groups dependent on their cross reactions with two strains which served as prototypes for each group. it was found that for epidemiological studies, screening of sera and se ... | 1976 | 16296127 |
| limited pathogenicity of usutu virus for the domestic chicken (gallus domesticus). | in summer 2001, usutu virus (usuv), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, was isolated for the first time in europe during a mortality incident among eurasian blackbirds (turdus merula) in austria. chickens are frequently used as sentinel animals for arbovirus surveillance systems. in the present study, the pathogenicity of usuv for specific pathogen free chickens was investigated. ten 2-week-old chickens were inoculated intravenously with 0.1 ml inoculum containing 10(3) median (50%) tissue culture infe ... | 2005 | 16236570 |
| cleavage targets and the d-arginine-based inhibitors of the west nile virus ns3 processing proteinase. | mosquito-borne wnv (west nile virus) is an emerging global threat. the ns3 proteinase, which is essential for the proteolytic processing of the viral polyprotein precursor, is a promising drug target. we have isolated and biochemically characterized the recombinant, highly active ns3 proteinase. we have determined that the ns3 proteinase functions in a manner that is distantly similar to furin in cleaving the peptide and protein substrates. we determined that aprotinin and d-arginine-based 9-12- ... | 2006 | 16229682 |
| [usutu virus in austria reminds one of the west nile virus in the usa]. | | 2004 | 15822217 |
| in vitro host-cell susceptibility to usutu virus. | we investigated the susceptibility to usutu virus (flavivirus) of 13 permanent cell lines, 3 primary cell cultures, and chicken embryos. vero, pk-15, and goose embryo fibroblast cells developed cytopathic effects; however, viral multiplication was detected in all mammalian cell types by immunohistochemical tests. chicken embryo fibroblast cells and chicken embryos were resistant. | 2005 | 15752450 |
| novel flavivirus or new lineage of west nile virus, central europe. | a flavivirus (strain 97-103) was isolated from culex pipens mosquitoes in 1997 following floods in south moravia, czech republic. the strain exhibited close antigenic relationship to west nile virus (wnv) prototype strain eg-101 in a cross-neutralization test. in this study, mouse pathogenicity characteristics and the complete nucleotide and putative amino acid sequences of isolate 97-103, named rabensburg virus (rabv) after a nearby austrian city, were determined. rabv shares only 75%-77% nucle ... | 2005 | 15752439 |
| arboviral encephalitides: transmission, emergence, and pathogenesis. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are of paramount concern as a group of pathogens at the forefront of emerging and re-emerging diseases. although some arboviral infections are asymptomatic or present with a mild influenza-like illness, many are important human and veterinary pathogens causing serious illness ranging from rash and arthritis to encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. here, we discuss arboviruses from diverse families (flaviviruses, alphaviruses, and the bunyaviridae) that are cau ... | 2010 | 20652430 |
| complete genome analysis and molecular characterization of usutu virus that emerged in austria in 2001: comparison with the south african strain saar-1776 and other flaviviruses. | here we describe the complete genome sequences of two strains of usutu virus (usuv), a mosquito-borne member of the genus flavivirus in the japanese encephalitis virus (jev) serogroup. usuv was detected in austria in 2001 causing a high mortality rate in blackbirds; the reference strain (saar-1776) was isolated in 1958 from mosquitoes in south africa and has never been associated with avian mortality. the austrian and south african isolates exhibited 97% nucleotide and 99% amino acid identity. p ... | 2004 | 15464850 |
| experimental usutu virus infection of suckling mice causes neuronal and glial cell apoptosis and demyelination. | usutu virus (usuv), a mosquito-borne flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus group has been responsible for avian mortality in austria since 2001. in the present study, the neuropathogenicity and neuroinvasiveness of usuv for 1-week-old suckling mice was investigated. after intraperitoneal inoculation, clinical signs like depression, disorientation, paraplegia, paralysis and coma were observed between 6 and 11 days post infection. histologically, there was widespread neuronal apoptosis esp ... | 2004 | 15372281 |
| pathology and viral distribution in fatal usutu virus infections of birds from the 2001 and 2002 outbreaks in austria. | in the summer of 2001, usutu virus (usuv) was isolated for the first time in europe, from an episode of mass mortality in eurasian blackbirds (turdus merula). in the present study, 40 of the birds (representing three species), confirmed as cases of usuv infection, were examined by four methods (histopathology, immunohistochemistry [ihc], in-situ hybridization [ish] and reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [rt-pcr]). the major macroscopical finding was hepatosplenomegaly; histologicall ... | 2004 | 15276857 |
| usutu virus activity in austria, 2001-2002. | usutu virus (usuv), a member of the mosquito-borne clade within the flaviviridae family, was responsible for avian mortality in austria in 2001. in 2002, the virus continued to kill birds, predominantly blackbirds. high numbers of avian deaths were recorded within the city of vienna and in surrounding districts of the federal state of lower austria, while single die-offs were noticed in the federal states of styria and burgenland. a total of 72 birds were submitted for laboratory examination, 30 ... | 2003 | 14554255 |
| origin and evolution of japanese encephalitis virus in southeast asia. | since it emerged in japan in the 1870s, japanese encephalitis has spread across asia and has become the most important cause of epidemic encephalitis worldwide. four genotypes of japanese encephalitis virus (jev) are presently recognized (representatives of genotypes i to iii have been fully sequenced), but its origin is not known. we have determined the complete nucleotide and amino acid sequence of a genotype iv indonesian isolate (jkt6468) which represents the oldest lineage, compared it with ... | 2003 | 12584335 |
| phylogenetic analysis of a human isolate from the 2000 israel west nile virus epidemic. | specimens from a patient of the 2000 israel west nile virus epidemic were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. products corresponding to e, ns3, and ns5 sequences were amplified from cerebellar but not from cortical samples. phylogenetic analyses indicated a closer relationship of this isolate to 1996 romanian and 1999 russian than to 1998-99 israeli or 1999 new york isolates. | 2002 | 11996693 |
| antigenic relationships among nigerian strains of west nile virus by complement fixation and agar gel precipitation techniques. | using two serological techniques, eight nigerian west nile virus isolates were investigated to determine antigenic relationships among them, and to find out if these virus isolates were related to west nile virus strains from the different zoogeographic areas of the world. one virus differed significantly from the seven other strains and was later found to be a strain of usutu virus. the remaining strains were differentiated into two serological intratypic groups depending on their cross reactio ... | 1976 | 60810 |
| inhibition of enveloped virus infection of cultured cells by valproic acid. | valproic acid (vpa) is a short-chain fatty acid commonly used for treatment of neurological disorders. as vpa can interfere with cellular lipid metabolism, its effect on the infection of cultured cells by viruses of seven viral families relevant to human and animal health, including eight enveloped and four nonenveloped viruses, was analyzed. vpa drastically inhibited multiplication of all the enveloped viruses tested, including the zoonotic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and west nile virus ... | 2010 | 21106740 |
| simulation of climate-change scenarios to explain usutu-virus dynamics in austria. | the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in mid-latitudes, so far mainly observed in the tropics, considerably increase under the current situation of climate change. a recent example is the usutu virus (usuv) outbreak in austria. usuv is closely related to the west nile virus in the u.s. and caused mass mortalities mainly of blackbirds (turdus merula). the usuv flavivirus persists in a natural transmission cycle between vectors (mosquitoes) and host reservoirs (birds) and leads - once en ... | 2009 | 18715663 |
| serological evidence of usutu virus occurrence in north-eastern italy. | in the recent years, usutu virus (usuv), a flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus complex, has been reported in central europe. as part of a systematic surveillance programme to monitor possible entrance and/or circulation of vector-borne viruses, since 2001, sentinel-chicken flocks were placed throughout the italian territory nearby areas considered at risk of virus introduction. they have been periodically checked for the presence of antibodies against flaviviruses by indirect elisa, pl ... | 2008 | 18667029 |
| serologic survey of birds for west nile flavivirus in southern moravia (czech republic). | a serosurvey for west nile virus (wnv) was carried out in 54 domestic birds (geese and ducks bred on fishponds) and 391 wild birds representing 28 migratory and resident species, using a plaque-reduction neutralization microtest with vero cells and egyptian topotype eg-101 strain as test virus. the birds were sampled in the south-moravian fishpond ecosystem between 2004 and 2006. antibodies to wnv were not detected in domestic waterfowl, but 23 (5.9%) free-living birds of 10 species showed a pos ... | 2008 | 18454599 |
| west nile virus and its emergence in the united states of america. | zoonotic west nile virus (wnv) circulates in natural transmission cycles involving certain mosquitoes and birds, horses, humans, and a range of other vertebrates are incidental hosts. clinical infections in humans can range in severity from uncomplicated wnv fever to fatal meningoencephalitis. since its introduction to the western hemisphere in 1999, wnv had spread across north america, central and south america and the caribbean, although the vast majority of severe human cases have occurred in ... | 2010 | 21188801 |
| explaining usutu virus dynamics in austria: model development and calibration. | usutu virus (usuv), a flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus complex, was for the first time detected outside africa in the region around vienna (austria) in 2001 by weissenböck et al. [weissenböck, h., kolodziejek, j., url, a., lussy, h., rebel-bauder, b., nowotny, n., 2002. emergence of usutu virus, an african mosquito-borne flavivirus of the japanese encephalitis virus group, central europe. emerg. infect. dis. 8, 652-656]. usuv is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) circulating betwe ... | 2008 | 18314208 |
| west nile virus in golden eagles, spain, 2007. | | 2008 | 18760030 |
| phylogenetic analysis of west nile virus isolates, italy, 2008-2009. | to determine the lineage of west nile virus that caused outbreaks in italy in 2008 and 2009, several west nile virus strains were isolated from human specimens and sequenced. on the basis of phylogenetic analyses, the strains isolated constitute a distinct group within the western mediterranean cluster. | 2011 | 21529408 |
| a conserved predicted pseudoknot in the ns2a-encoding sequence of west nile and japanese encephalitis flaviviruses suggests ns1' may derive from ribosomal frameshifting. | japanese encephalitis, west nile, usutu and murray valley encephalitis viruses form a tight subgroup within the larger flavivirus genus. these viruses utilize a single-polyprotein expression strategy, resulting in ~10 mature proteins. plotting the conservation at synonymous sites along the polyprotein coding sequence reveals strong conservation peaks at the very 5' end of the coding sequence, and also at the 5' end of the sequence encoding the ns2a protein. such peaks are generally indicative of ... | 2009 | 19196463 |
| bagaza virus in partridges and pheasants, spain, 2010. | in september 2010, an unusually high number of wild birds (partridges and pheasants) died in cádiz in southwestern spain. reverse transcription pcr and virus isolation detected flavivirus infections. complete nucleotide sequence analysis identified bagaza virus, a flavivirus with a known distribution that includes sub-saharan africa and india, as the causative agent. | 2011 | 21801633 |
| the zoonotic flaviviruses of southern, south-eastern and eastern asia, and australasia: the potential for emergent viruses. | the genus flaviviridae comprises about 70 members, of which about 30 are found in southern, south-eastern and eastern asia and australasia. these include major pathogens such as japanese encephalitis (je), west nile (wn), murray valley encephalitis (mve), tick-borne encephalitis, kyasanur forest disease virus, and the dengue viruses. other members are known to be associated with mild febrile disease in humans, or with no known disease. in addition, novel flaviviruses continue to be discovered, a ... | 2009 | 19486319 |
| a new permanent cell line derived from the bank vole (myodes glareolus) as cell culture model for zoonotic viruses. | abstract: | 2011 | 21729307 |
| usutu virus in wild birds in northern italy. | usutu virus (usuv) infection was diagnosed in two free-living blackbirds and in three captive owls belonging to two different species in northern italy in the summers of 2006-2008. diagnosis was established by immunohistochemistry and rt-pcr. rt-pcr was performed on frozen and on paraffin-embedded tissues (pet), respectively. from the frozen samples a partial sequence of the putative usuv e and ns1 proteins (1229 bp) was determined, whereas partial sequences of the putative ns3 (278 bp) and ns5 ... | 2010 | 19720475 |
| zoonotic mosquito-borne flaviviruses: worldwide presence of agents with proven pathogenicity and potential candidates of future emerging diseases. | an update on the mosquito-borne flavivirus species including certain subtypes, as listed in the eighth report of the international committee on taxonomy of viruses, is given. special emphasis is placed on viruses which have been shown to cause diseases in animals, and viruses for which no pathogenicity has been proven yet. several recent examples (usutu virus and lineage-2 west nile virus in central europe, zika virus in micronesia) have shown that sources providing information on such scientifi ... | 2010 | 19762169 |
| west nile virus antibodies in wild birds, morocco, 2008. | to determine circulation of west nile virus (wnv) during nonepidemic times, we serosurveyed wild birds of morocco in 2008. we found antibodies against wnv in 12 (3.5%) birds, against usutu virus in 1 (0.3%), and against both in 2 (0.6%). high wnv prevalence among juvenile birds suggests local virus circulation among resident birds. | 2009 | 19861065 |
| structure and functionality in flavivirus ns-proteins: perspectives for drug design. | flaviviridae are small enveloped viruses hosting a positive-sense single-stranded rna genome. besides yellow fever virus, a landmark case in the history of virology, members of the flavivirus genus, such as west nile virus and dengue virus, are increasingly gaining attention due to their re-emergence and incidence in different areas of the world. additional environmental and demographic considerations suggest that novel or known flaviviruses will continue to emerge in the future. nevertheless, u ... | 2010 | 19945487 |
| usutu virus infection in a patient who underwent orthotropic liver transplantation, italy, august-september 2009. | we report a case of usutu virus (usuv)-related illness in a patient that underwent an orthotropic liver transplant (olt). post transplant, the patient developed clinical signs of a possible neuroinvasive disease with a significant loss of cerebral functions. usuv was isolated in vero e6 cells from a plasma sample obtained immediately before the surgery, and usuv rna was demonstrated by rt-pcr and sequencing. this report enlarges the panel of emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus-related disease in ... | 2009 | 20070935 |
| insights into arbovirus evolution and adaptation from experimental studies. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are maintained in nature by cycling between vertebrate hosts and haematophagous invertebrate vectors. these viruses are responsible for causing a significant public health burden throughout the world, with over 100 species having the capacity to cause human disease. arbovirus outbreaks in previously naïve environments demonstrate the potential of these pathogens for expansion and emergence, possibly exacerbated more recently by changing climates. these recen ... | 2010 | 21994633 |
| first human case of usutu virus neuroinvasive infection, italy, august-september 2009. | we report the first worldwide case of usutu virus (usuv) neuroinvasive infection in a patient with diffuse large b cell lymphoma who presented with fever and neurological symptoms and was diagnosed with meningoencephalitits. the cerebrospinal fluid was positive for usuv, and usuv was also demonstrated in serum and plasma samples by rt-pcr and sequencing. partial sequences of the premembrane and ns5 regions of the viral genome were similar to the usuv vienna and budapest isolates. | 2009 | 20070936 |
| rapid molecular detection methods for arboviruses of livestock of importance to northern europe. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have been responsible for some of the most explosive epidemics of emerging infectious diseases over the past decade. their impact on both human and livestock populations has been dramatic. the early detection either through surveillance or diagnosis of virus will be a critical feature in responding and resolving the emergence of such epidemics in the future. although some of the most important emerging arboviruses are human pathogens, this paper aims to high ... | 2012 | 22219660 |
| putative new lineage of west nile virus, spain. | to ascertain the presence of west nile virus (wnv), we sampled mosquitoes in 2006 in locations in southern spain where humans had been infected. wnv genomic rna was detected in 1 pool from unfed female culex pipiens mosquitoes. phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that this sequence cannot be assigned to previously described lineages of wnv. | 2010 | 20202444 |
| emergence of zoonotic arboviruses by animal trade and migration. | abstract: arboviruses are transmitted in nature exclusively or to a major extend by arthropods. they belong to the most important viruses invading new areas in the world and their occurrence is strongly influenced by climatic changes due to the life cycle of the transmitting vectors. several arboviruses have emerged in new regions of the world during the last years, like west nile virus (wnv) in the americas, usutu virus (usuv) in central europe, or rift valley fever virus (rvfv) in the arabian ... | 2010 | 20377873 |
| design and validation of an oligonucleotide probe for the detection of protozoa from the order trichomonadida using chromogenic in situ hybridization. | infections with protozoal parasites of the order trichomonadida are often observed in veterinary medicine. based on the trichomonad species involved these infections are either asymptomatic or can lead to sometimes serious disease. to further study protozoal agents of the order trichomonadida the establishment of a method to detect trichomonads directly in the tissue, allowing parasite-lesion correlation, is necessary. here we describe the design and evaluation of an oligonucleotide probe for ch ... | 2010 | 20395049 |
| west nile virus population genetics and evolution. | west nile virus (wnv) (flaviviridae: flavivirus) is transmitted from mosquitoes to birds, but can cause fatal encephalitis in infected humans. since its introduction into north america in new york in 1999, it has spread throughout the western hemisphere. multiple outbreaks have also occurred in europe over the last 20 years. this review highlights recent efforts to understand how host pressures impact viral population genetics, genotypic and phenotypic changes which have occurred in the wnv geno ... | 2011 | 22226703 |
| vector-borne infections. | infections with vector-borne pathogens are a major source of emerging diseases. the ability of vectors to bridge spatial and ecologic gaps between animals and humans increases opportunities for emergence. small adaptations of a pathogen to a vector can have profound effects on the rate of transmission to humans. | 2011 | 21529382 |
| potential changes in disease patterns and pharmaceutical use in response to climate change. | as climate change alters environmental conditions, the incidence and global patterns of human diseases are changing. these modifications to disease profiles and the effects upon human pharmaceutical usage are discussed. climate-related environmental changes are associated with a rise in the incidence of chronic diseases already prevalent in the northern hemisphere, for example, cardiovascular disease and mental illness, leading to greater use of associated heavily used western medications. suffe ... | 2013 | 23909463 |
| ontology for vector surveillance and management. | ontologies, which are made up by standardized and defined controlled vocabulary terms and their interrelationships, are comprehensive and readily searchable repositories for knowledge in a given domain. the open biomedical ontologies (obo) foundry was initiated in 2001 with the aims of becoming an "umbrella" for life-science ontologies and promoting the use of ontology development best practices. a software application (obo-edit; *.obo file format) was developed to facilitate ontology developmen ... | 2013 | 23427646 |
| vector-borne disease intelligence: strategies to deal with disease burden and threats. | owing to the complex nature of vector-borne diseases (vbds), whereby monitoring of human case patients does not suffice, public health authorities experience challenges in surveillance and control of vbds. knowledge on the presence and distribution of vectors and the pathogens that they transmit is vital to the risk assessment process to permit effective early warning, surveillance, and control of vbds. upon accepting this reality, public health authorities face an ever-increasing range of possi ... | 2014 | 25566522 |
| false-positive transcription-mediated amplification assay detection of west nile virus in blood from a patient with viremia caused by an usutu virus infection. | detection of west nile virus (wnv) by nucleic acid amplification technology (naat) is used widely to screen blood and organ donations in areas where wnv is endemic. we report a false-positive result of a wnv transcription-mediated amplification assay (tma) in a patient with viremia that was caused by usutu virus, a mosquito-borne flavivirus. | 2010 | 20592138 |
| estimating the burden of japanese encephalitis virus and other encephalitides in countries of the mekong region. | diverse aetiologies of viral and bacterial encephalitis are widely recognized as significant yet neglected public health issues in the mekong region. a robust analysis of the corresponding health burden is lacking. we retrieved 75 articles on encephalitis in the region published in english or in french from 1965 through 2011. review of available data demonstrated that they are sparse and often derived from hospital-based studies with significant recruitment bias. almost half (35 of 75) of articl ... | 2014 | 24498443 |
| host-feeding patterns of mosquito species in germany. | mosquito-borne pathogens are of growing importance in many countries of europe including germany. at the same time, the transmission cycles of most mosquito-borne pathogens (e.g. viruses or filarial parasites) are not completely understood. there is especially a lack of knowledge about the vector capacity of the different mosquito species, which is strongly influenced by their host-feeding patterns. while this kind of information is important to identify the relevant vector species, e.g. to dire ... | 2016 | 27259984 |
| zoonoses in pet birds: review and perspectives. | pet birds are a not-so-well known veterinarian's clientship fraction. bought individually or in couples, as families often do (which is a lucrative business for pet shops or local breeders) or traded (sometimes illegally) for their very high genetic or exotic value, these birds, commonly canaries, parakeets or parrots, are regularly sold at high prices. these animals, however, are potential carriers and/or transmitters of zoonotic diseases. some of them could have an important impact on human he ... | 2013 | 23687940 |
| [current status and eco-epidemiology of mosquito-borne arboviruses (diptera: culicidae) in spain]. | in this manuscript we analize the possible emergence and/or re-emergence in spain of some of the mosquito-borne arboviruses (diptera: culicidae) with highest incidence in recent years. the faunistic, bioecological and distributional data of the culicids in our country allow to differentiate between species with ability to maintain the enzootic cycles of arboviruses from others that can act as bridge vectors to the human population. the results show the existence of several common and anthropophi ... | 2010 | 20661525 |
| tick infestation in birds and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from different places in germany. | the importance of ticks and tick-borne pathogens for human and animal health has been increasing over the past decades. for their transportation and dissemination, birds may play a more important role than wingless hosts. in this study, tick infestation of birds in germany was examined. eight hundred ninety-two captured birds were infested with ticks and belonged to 48 different species, of which blackbirds (turdus merula) and song thrushes (turdus philomelos) were most strongly infested. ground ... | 2016 | 27048511 |
| duck tembusu virus exhibits neurovirulence in balb/c mice. | duck tembusu virus is a member of the ntaya group in the genus flavivirus. the virus has been responsible for severe duck egg-drop syndrome in china since 2010. its emergence and rapid spread have caused great economic loss for the poultry industry. the epidemiology of the virus infection and the potential threat to public health is of great concern because of the infective and zoonotic nature of flaviviruses. | 2013 | 23941427 |
| surveillance for western equine encephalitis, st. louis encephalitis, and west nile viruses using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification. | collection of mosquitoes and testing for vector-borne viruses is a key surveillance activity that directly influences the vector control efforts of public health agencies, including determining when and where to apply insecticides. vector control districts in california routinely monitor for three human pathogenic viruses including west nile virus (wnv), western equine encephalitis virus (weev), and st. louis encephalitis virus (slev). reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction ... | 2016 | 26807734 |
| preparing for the next epidemic with basic virology. | | 2015 | 26492495 |
| zoonotic encephalitides caused by arboviruses: transmission and epidemiology of alphaviruses and flaviviruses. | in this review, we mainly focus on zoonotic encephalitides caused by arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of the families flaviviridae (genus flavivirus) and togaviridae (genus alphavirus) that are important in both humans and domestic animals. specifically, we will focus on alphaviruses (eastern equine encephalitis virus, western equine encephalitis virus, venezuelan equine encephalitis virus) and flaviviruses (japanese encephalitis virus and west nile virus). most of these viruses were origin ... | 2013 | 24427764 |
| a genome-wide analysis of rna pseudoknots that stimulate efficient -1 ribosomal frameshifting or readthrough in animal viruses. | programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting (prf) and stop codon readthrough are two translational recoding mechanisms utilized by some rna viruses to express their structural and enzymatic proteins at a defined ratio. efficient recoding usually requires an rna pseudoknot located several nucleotides downstream from the recoding site. to assess the strategic importance of the recoding pseudoknots, we have carried out a large scale genome-wide analysis in which we used an in-house developed program to d ... | 2013 | 24298557 |
| evolution of mosquito-based arbovirus surveillance systems in australia. | control of arboviral disease is dependent on the sensitive and timely detection of elevated virus activity or the identification of emergent or exotic viruses. the emergence of japanese encephalitis virus (jev) in northern australia revealed numerous problems with performing arbovirus surveillance in remote locations. a sentinel pig programme detected jev activity, although there were a number of financial, logistical, diagnostic and ethical limitations. a system was developed which detected vir ... | 2012 | 22505808 |
| the microbial detection array for detection of emerging viruses in clinical samples--a useful panmicrobial diagnostic tool. | emerging viruses are usually endemic to tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, but increased global travel, climate change and changes in lifestyle are believed to contribute to the spread of these viruses into new regions. many of these viruses cause similar disease symptoms as other emerging viruses or common infections, making these unexpected pathogens difficult to diagnose. broad-spectrum pathogen detection microarrays containing probes for all sequenced viruses and bacteria can pr ... | 2014 | 24963710 |
| identification of hotspots in the european union for the introduction of four zoonotic arboviroses by live animal trade. | live animal trade is considered a major mode of introduction of viruses from enzootic foci into disease-free areas. due to societal and behavioural changes, some wild animal species may nowadays be considered as pet species. the species diversity of animals involved in international trade is thus increasing. this could benefit pathogens that have a broad host range such as arboviruses. the objective of this study was to analyze the risk posed by live animal imports for the introduction, in the e ... | 2013 | 23894573 |
| biological transmission of arboviruses: reexamination of and new insights into components, mechanisms, and unique traits as well as their evolutionary trends. | among animal viruses, arboviruses are unique in that they depend on arthropod vectors for transmission. field research and laboratory investigations related to the three components of this unique mode of transmission, virus, vector, and vertebrate host, have produced an enormous amount of valuable information that may be found in numerous publications. however, despite many reviews on specific viruses, diseases, or interests, a systematic approach to organizing the available information on all f ... | 0 | 16223950 |
| an updated checklist of mosquito species (diptera: culicidae) from madagascar. | an updated checklist of 235 mosquito species from madagascar is presented. the number of species has increased considerably compared to previous checklists, particularly the last published in 2003 (178 species). this annotated checklist provides concise information on endemism, taxonomic position, developmental stages, larval habitats, distribution, behavior, and vector-borne diseases potentially transmitted. the 235 species belong to 14 genera: aedeomyia (3 species), aedes (35 species), anophel ... | 2016 | 27101839 |
| emerging and re-emerging viruses: a global challenge illustrated by chikungunya virus outbreaks. | in recent decades, the issue of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, especially those related to viruses, has become an increasingly important area of concern in public health. it is of significance to anticipate future epidemics by accumulating knowledge through appropriate research and by monitoring their emergence using indicators from different sources. the objective is to alert and respond effectively in order to reduce the adverse impact on the general populations. most of the eme ... | 0 | 24175207 |
| west nile virus circulation in veneto region in 2008-2009. | summarywest nile virus (wnv) was detected in italy, in late summer 2008 in horses and birds in the po valley. as a consequence, an intense wnv surveillance was implemented in that area involving emilia-romagna, veneto and lombardy. this paper presents the results of the september 2008-november 2009 surveillance on equines, mosquitoes, wild birds, dogs and cattle in veneto. wnv was detected in equines and dogs, and, to a lesser extent in cattle and wild birds. simultaneous circulation of usutu vi ... | 2011 | 20670469 |
| assessment of productivity of culex spp. larvae (diptera: culicidae) in urban storm water catch basin system in wrocław (sw poland). | in urban environments, catch basins serve as major developmental and resting sites for anthropophilic and zoophilic mosquitoes. however, the use of this habitat is inconsistent, with abundance of larvae varying significantly across catch basins at a fine spatial scale. during seasonal summer investigations on mosquito species composition, their spatial and temporal distribution and the environmental characteristic of the breeding sites in the underground storm drain systems of the wrocław urban ... | 2016 | 26809340 |
| structural and functional analyses of a conserved hydrophobic pocket of flavivirus methyltransferase. | the flavivirus methyltransferase (mtase) sequentially methylates the n7 and 2'-o positions of the viral rna cap (gpppa-rna → m(7)gpppa-rna → m(7)gpppam-rna), using s-adenosyl-l-methionine (adomet) as a methyl donor. we report here that sinefungin (sin), an adomet analog, inhibits several flaviviruses through suppression of viral mtase. the crystal structure of west nile virus mtase in complex with sin inhibitor at 2.0-å resolution revealed a flavivirus-conserved hydrophobic pocket located next t ... | 2010 | 20685660 |
| unfolded protein response in hepatitis c virus infection. | hepatitis c virus (hcv) is a single-stranded, positive-sense rna virus of clinical importance. the virus establishes a chronic infection and can progress from chronic hepatitis, steatosis to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc). the mechanisms of viral persistence and pathogenesis are poorly understood. recently the unfolded protein response (upr), a cellular homeostatic response to endoplasmic reticulum (er) stress, has emerged to be a major contributing factor in many human ... | 2014 | 24904547 |
| the composition of west nile virus lipid envelope unveils a role of sphingolipid metabolism in flavivirus biogenesis. | west nile virus (wnv) is an emerging zoonotic mosquito-borne flavivirus responsible for outbreaks of febrile illness and meningoencephalitis. the replication of wnv takes place on virus-modified membranes from the endoplasmic reticulum of the host cell, and virions acquire their envelope by budding into this organelle. consistent with this view, the cellular biology of this pathogen is intimately linked to modifications of the intracellular membranes, and the requirement for specific lipids, suc ... | 2014 | 25122799 |
| mosquito-borne arbovirus surveillance at selected sites in diverse ecological zones of kenya; 2007 - 2012. | increased frequency of arbovirus outbreaks in east africa necessitated the determination of distribution of risk by entomologic arbovirus surveillance. a systematic vector surveillance programme spanning 5 years and covering 11 sites representing seven of the eight provinces in kenya and located in diverse ecological zones was carried out. | 2013 | 23663381 |
| development of one-step quantitative reverse transcription pcr for the rapid detection of flaviviruses. | the genus flavivirus includes several pathogenic agents that cause severe illness in humans. re-emergence of west nile virus in europe and continuous spread of certain flaviviruses such as dengue, yellow fever and japanese encephalitis viruses represent a global danger to public health. therefore, a rapid and accurate molecular method is required for diagnostics and epidemiological surveillance of flaviviruses. | 2013 | 23410000 |
| the contribution of rodent models to the pathological assessment of flaviviral infections of the central nervous system. | members of the genus flavivirus are responsible for a spectrum of important neurological syndromes in humans and animals. rodent models have been used extensively to model flavivirus neurological disease, to discover host-pathogen interactions that influence disease outcome, and as surrogates to determine the efficacy and safety of vaccines and therapeutics. in this review, we discuss the current understanding of flavivirus neuroinvasive disease and outline the host, viral and experimental facto ... | 2012 | 22592957 |
| first report on human-biting culex pipiens in sweden. | culex mosquitoes are vectors of several bird-hosted arboviruses that cause outbreaks in europe, such as sindbis virus and west nile virus. recently, the human-biting form of culex pipiens, cx. pipiens biotype molestus, was found causing big nuisance in a housing cooperative in gothenburg in southern sweden, confirmed by molecular identification. this is the first report of human-biting culex in scandinavia, signalling increased risk of arbovirus infection in northern europe. | 2016 | 27927233 |
| working with zika and usutu viruses in vitro. | usutu (usuv) and zika (zikv) viruses are emerging arboviruses of significant medical and veterinary importance. these viruses have not been studied as well as other medically important arboviruses such as west nile (wnv), dengue (denv), or chikungunya (chikv) viruses. as such, information regarding the behavior of zikv and usuv viruses in the laboratory is dated. usutu virus re-emerged in austria in 2001 and has since spread throughout the european and asian continents causing significant mortal ... | 2016 | 27541001 |
| the role of climatic and density dependent factors in shaping mosquito population dynamics: the case of culex pipiens in northwestern italy. | culex pipiens mosquito is a species widely spread across europe and represents a competent vector for many arboviruses such as west nile virus (wnv), which has been recently circulating in many european countries, causing hundreds of human cases. in order to identify the main determinants of the high heterogeneity in cx. pipiens abundance observed in piedmont region (northwestern italy) among different seasons, we developed a density-dependent stochastic model that takes explicitly into account ... | 2016 | 27105065 |
| pilot longitudinal mosquito surveillance study in the danube delta biosphere reserve and the first reports of anopheles algeriensis theobald, 1903 and aedes hungaricus mihályi, 1955 for romania. | mosquito-borne viruses (moboviruses) are of growing importance in many countries of europe. in romania and especially in the danube delta biosphere reserve (ddbr), mosquito and mobovirus surveillance are not performed on a regular basis. however, this type of study is crucially needed to evaluate the risk of pathogen transmission, to understand the ecology of emerging moboviruses, or to plan vector control programmes. | 2016 | 27066827 |
| ecological characterization and molecular differentiation of culex pipiens complex taxa and culex torrentium in eastern austria. | culex pipiens complex taxa differ in behaviour, ecophysiology and epidemiologic importance. despite their epidemiologic significance, information on genetic diversity, occurrence and seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of the cx. pipiens complex is still insufficient. assessment of seasonal and spatial distribution patterns of culex pipiens forms and their congener cx. torrentium is crucial for the understanding of their vector-pathogen dynamics. | 2016 | 27067139 |
| direct pcr of indigenous and invasive mosquito species: a time- and cost-effective technique of mosquito barcoding. | millions of people die each year as a result of pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes. however, the morphological identification of mosquito species can be difficult even for experts. the identification of morphologically indistinguishable species, such as members of the anopheles maculipennis complex (diptera: culicidae), and possible hybrids, such as culex pipiens pipiens/culex pipiens molestus (diptera: culicidae), presents a major problem. in addition, the detection and discrimination of newly ... | 2015 | 26663040 |