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Front Public Health 2018 29;6:384. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Department of Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2018. Read More

Viruses 2019 Feb 12;11(2). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.

Mosquito-borne diseases constitute a large portion of infectious diseases, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually. Mosquito-transmitted viruses, such as yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, have re-emerged recently and remain a public health threat worldwide. Global climate change, rapid urbanization, burgeoning international travel, expansion of mosquito populations, vector competence, and host and viral genetics may all together contribute to the re-emergence of arboviruses. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 28;9. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), Bern, Switzerland.

Several mosquito-borne Flaviviruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Dengue Virus (DENV), and Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause severe clinical disease. Being zoonotic, Flaviviruses infect a wide variety of terrestrial vertebrates, which dependent of the virus-host interactions, can enhance ongoing epidemics and maintain the virus in the environment for prolonged periods. Targeted species can vary from amphibians, birds to various mammals, dependent on the virus. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Feb 6;20(3). Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Virus infections of the central nervous system (CNS) can manifest in various forms of inflammation, including that of the brain (encephalitis) and spinal cord (myelitis), all of which may have long-lasting deleterious consequences. Although the knowledge of how different viruses affect neural cells is increasing, understanding of the mechanisms by which cells respond to neurotropic viruses remains fragmented. Several virus types have the ability to infect neural tissue, and astrocytes, an abundant and heterogeneous neuroglial cell type and a key element providing CNS homeostasis, are one of the first CNS cell types to get infected. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019 Feb 7;13(2):e0007162. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

UMR 1161 Virology, ANSES, INRA, ENVA, ANSES Animal Health Laboratory, EURL for equine diseases, Maisons-Alfort, France.

New Caledonia and French Polynesia are areas in which arboviruses circulate extensively. A large serological survey among horses from New Caledonia and French Polynesia was carried out to investigate the seroprevalence of flaviviruses in the horse population. Here, 293 equine sera samples were screened for flaviviruses using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Read More

Cell Rep 2019 Feb;26(6):1598-1613.e8

Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Flaviviruses cause systemic or neurotropic-encephalitic pathology in humans. The flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a secreted glycoprotein involved in viral replication, immune evasion, and vascular leakage during dengue virus infection. However, the contribution of secreted NS1 from related flaviviruses to viral pathogenesis remains unknown. Read More

Zoonoses Public Health 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy.

Background: In the Mediterranean and Black Sea Region, arbovirus infections are emerging infectious diseases. Their surveillance can benefit from one health inter-sectoral collaboration; however, no standardized methodology exists to study One Health surveillance.

Methods: We designed a situation analysis study to document how integration of laboratory/clinical human, animal and entomological surveillance of arboviruses was being implemented in the Region. Read More

J Neuroinflammation 2019 Jan 31;16(1):22. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.

Background: Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS) locally maintained through colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) signaling. Microglial depletion via CSF1R inactivation improves cognition in mouse models of neuroinflammation, but limits virologic control in the CNS of mouse models of neurotropic infections by unknown mechanisms. We hypothesize that CSF1R plays a critical role in myeloid cell responses that restrict viral replication and locally restimulate recruited antiviral T cells within the CNS. Read More

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 2019 24;15. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

1Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 269 Campus Drive, CCSR 3215, MC 5366, Stanford, CA 94305 USA.

We report a male with longstanding warts who presented with severe West Nile virus encephalitis (WNVE) and recovered after interferon alfa-2b and intravenous immunoglobulin. He was later found to have GATA2 deficiency and underwent successful hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019 Jan 28. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

1 Department of Virology, Veterinary Faculty, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Avcilar, Istanbul, Turkey.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are mainly transmitted by arthropod vectors to vertebrate hosts including humans, resulting in fever and neurological signs. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of antibodies to TBEV and WNV, and TBEV-RNA and WNV-RNA in Turkish children with fever and/or arthritis. For this purpose, 110 sera and buffy-coat samples were collected; sera were analyzed by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies to TBEV and WNV, and buffy-coat-derived white blood cells were analyzed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR for TBEV-RNA and WNV-RNA. Read More

Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2019 Jan 17;114:e180332. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Instituto Evandro Chagas, Seção de Arbovirologia e Febres Hemorrágicas, Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.

Background: Serological evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection has been reported in different regions of Brazil from equine and human hosts but the virus had never been isolated in the country.

Objectives: We sought to identify the viral etiology of equine encephalitis in Espírito Santo state.

Methods: We performed viral culture in C6/36 cells, molecular detection of WNV genome, histopathology and immunohistochemistry from horse cerebral tissue. Read More

J Med Entomol 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Arbovirus Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO.

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) have recently emerged in the southwestern United States. Surveillance for arboviruses in Las Vegas, NV, detected a surge of SLEV activity in the southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus Say) during 2016. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 Feb;25(2)

Infection with West Nile virus (WNV) has a well-characterized acute disease process. However, long-term consequences are less understood. We searched death records for 4,142 residents of Texas, USA, infected with WNV during 2002-2012 and identified 557 (13%) deaths. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 Feb;25(2):325-327

Using reported case data from ArboNET and previous seroprevalence data stratified by age and sex, we conservatively estimate that ≈7 million persons in the United States have been infected with West Nile virus since its introduction in 1999. Our data support the need for public health interventions and improved surveillance. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2019 Feb;25(2):367-369

West Nile virus (WNV) is an arthropod-transmitted flavivirus that causes West Nile fever and may infrequently cause neuroinvasive disease in humans. We present 2 cases of confirmed WNV infection, 1 of severe encephalitis and 1 of mild febrile illness, in a couple returning to the United Kingdom from South Africa. Read More

Curr Clin Microbiol Rep 2018 Dec 3;5(4):229-237. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Infectious, Diseases Institute, The Ohio State University, 460 W 12th Ave, Biomedical Research Tower 790, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) is a cellular restriction factor that blocks fusion between virus and host membranes. Here, we provide an introduction to IFITM3 and the biochemical regulation underlying its antiviral activity. Further, we analyze and summarize the published literature examining phenotypes of IFITM3 knockout mice upon infections with viral pathogens and discuss the controversial association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human gene and severe virus infections. Read More

Viruses 2019 Jan 15;11(1). Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Viral Genomics and Vaccination Unit, UMR3569 CNRS, Virology department, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.

Flaviviruses, such as dengue (DENV), West Nile (WNV), yellow fever (YFV) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses, are mosquito-borne pathogens that present a major risk to global public health. To identify host factors that promote flavivirus replication, we performed a genome-wide gain-of-function cDNA screen for human genes that enhance the replication of flavivirus reporter particles in human cells. The screen recovered seventeen potential host proteins that promote viral replication, including the previously known dolichyl-diphosphooligosaccharide--protein glycosyltransferase non-catalytic subunit (DDOST). Read More

J Clin Neurophysiol 2019 Jan 21. Epub 2019 Jan 21.

Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, U.S.A.

Purpose: Neuroinvasive West Nile virus (WNV) is rare, occurring in less than 1% of those infected, and may manifest as meningitis, encephalitis, and/or acute flaccid paralysis. Patients may present initially with nonspecific symptoms including fevers. Although rare, neuroinvasive WNV is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Read More

PeerJ 2019 9;6:e6168. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.

Although mosquito microbiota are known to influence reproduction, nutrition, disease transmission, and pesticide resistance, the relationship between host-associated microbial community composition and geographical location is poorly understood. To begin addressing this knowledge gap, we characterized microbiota associated with adult females of mosquito vectors of Saint Louis Encephalitis and West Nile viruses sampled from three locations in Florida (Vero Beach, Palmetto Inland, and Palmetto Coast). High-throughput sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes demonstrated significant differences among microbial communities of mosquitoes sampled from the three locations. Read More

Int J Infect Dis 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

CDC India, New Delhi, India.

Background: Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) surveillance in India has indicated that Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) accounts for 5-35% of AES cases annually; the etiology remains unknown in the remaining cases. We implemented comprehensive AES surveillance to identify other etiological agents of AES, with emphasis on dengue virus.

Methods: Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected from patients enrolled prospectively in AES surveillance from 2014-2017 at selected sites of three high burden states of India. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(1):e0209993. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

LIM / 46-Laboratory of Medical Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine-IMT, University of São Paulo Medical School USP, São Paulo, Brazil.

The objective of this study was to characterize the prevalence of viral encephalitis due to arbovirus infection of the Togaviridae and Flaviviridae families in São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 500 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected between August 2012 and January 2013, from patients with symptoms of acute encephalitis were analyzed. Findings suggestive of viral encephalitis-elevations in cell concentration, glucose and total protein-were observed in 234 (46. Read More

J Gen Virol 2019 Feb 22;100(2):119-132. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

1​FARAH Research Center, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.

West Nile Virus, Usutu virus, Bagaza virus, Israel turkey encephalitis virus and Tembusu virus currently constitute the five flaviviruses transmitted by mosquito bites with a marked pathogenicity for birds. They have been identified as the causative agents of severe neurological symptoms, drop in egg production and/or mortalities among avian hosts. They have also recently shown an expansion of their geographic distribution and/or a rise in cases of human infection. Read More

J Virol 2019 Jan 9. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic mosquito-borne flavivirus of global importance. Neuroinvasive WNV infection results in encephalitis and can lead to prolonged neurological impairment or death. Type I interferon (IFN-I) is crucial for promoting antiviral defenses through the induction of antiviral effectors, which function to restrict viral replication and spread. Read More

Intervirology 2018 9;61(4):174-184. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville (CIRMF), Franceville,

Non-malarial febrile illness outbreaks were documented in 2007 and 2010 in Gabon. After investigation, these outbreaks were attributed to the chikungunya and dengue viruses (CHIKV and DENV). However, for more than half of the samples analyzed, the causative agent was not identified. Read More

MBio 2019 Jan 8;10(1). Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Fundación Instituto Leloir-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Flaviviruses include a diverse group of medically important viruses that cycle between mosquitoes and humans. During this natural process of switching hosts, each species imposes different selective forces on the viral population. Using dengue virus (DENV) as model, we found that paralogous RNA structures originating from duplications in the viral 3' untranslated region (UTR) are under different selective pressures in the two hosts. Read More

Prev Vet Med 2019 Jan 26;162:95-106. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address:

A potentially sensitive way to detect disease outbreaks is syndromic surveillance, i.e. monitoring the number of syndromes reported in the population of interest, comparing it to the baseline rate, and drawing conclusions about outbreaks using statistical methods. Read More

Euro Surveill 2019 Jan;24(1)

Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.

As at 12 November 2018, an outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) was responsible for 139 WNV infection cases in Israel. Here, we characterise the epidemiology of the outbreak and demonstrate that only WNV lineage I was circulating in mosquitoes and responsible for WNV infection in humans. This suggests that the concurrence of the outbreak in Israel with WNV outbreaks in several European countries is not due to a common, more virulent WNV genotype. Read More

FP Essent 2019 Jan;476:11-17

University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine, 414 E. Clark Street, Vermillion, SD 57069.

Due to rapid globalization and ease of travel, mosquito-borne viral infections are now a concern for family physicians throughout the United States. Zika virus infection is one such concern. It is spread via mosquito bites or by sexual contact with an infected individual. Read More

Clin Pract 2018 Oct 4;8(4):1097. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

A 67-year-old male with past medical history of mantle cell lymphoma and atrial fibrillation presented with a truncal rash, bilateral lower extremity weakness, and confusion. Within three days of presentation, his condition rapidly deteriorated with the onset of diffuse flaccid paralysis, aphasia, and severe alteration in mental status. Initial results from serum studies, lumbar puncture, magnetic resonance imaging, and electroencephalogram were not diagnostic. Read More

Pediatr Neurol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Section of Child Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas.

Over the past two decades, West Nile virus has become the most common arbovirus in North America, leading to several outbreaks and infecting thousands of people. Mosquitos help transmit the virus in the majority of cases, but transmission occurs via blood transfusions, organ transplantation, and possibly pregnancy and breastfeeding. While most infected patients experience mild to no symptoms, thousands of West Nile virus-associated neuroinvasive cases have been reported in the United States, with over 700 cases occurring in children from 2003 to 2016. Read More

Virol J 2019 Jan 3;16(1). Epub 2019 Jan 3.

Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.

Background: Flaviviruses are important pathogens for humans and animals (Dengue viruses, Yellow fever virus, Zika virus and West Nile virus). Culex flavivirus (CxFV) is an insect-specific virus of the genus Flavivirus, detected in a wide variety of mosquito species.

Objective: To detect Flavivirus in mosquitoes of a tropical region of the Colombian Caribbean. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2018 Dec 31. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

From the Division of Nephrology, Dialysis, and Renal Transplantation, Fondazione Ca' Granda IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.

West Nile virus infection is more frequently associated with neuroinvasive disease and high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we describe a 47-year-old Egyptian kidney transplant recipient who was admitted to our department in 2016 for persistent fever, altered mental status, and upper limb tremors. In addition, renal impairment, signs of acute thrombotic microangiopathy, pancreatitis, and slightly altered inflammatory indices were present. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2018 Dec 29;18(1):707. Epub 2018 Dec 29.

Control of Epidemic Diseases (CED), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Background: The emergence of different viral infections during the last decades like dengue, West Nile, SARS, chikungunya, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Zika and Yellow Fever raised some questions on quickness and reliability of laboratory diagnostic tests for verification of suspected cases. Since sampling of blood requires medically trained personal and comprises some risks for the patient as well as for the health care personal, the sampling by non-invasive methods (e.g. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 27;8(1):18086. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, US Naval Research Laboratory, 4555 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC, 20375, USA.

Reliable detection and diagnosis of dengue virus (DENV) is important for both patient care and epidemiological control. Starting with a llama immunized with a mixture of recombinant nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) antigen from the four DENV serotypes, a phage display immune library of single domain antibodies was constructed and binders selected which exhibited specificity and affinity for DENV NS1. Each of these single domain antibodies was evaluated for its binding affinity to NS1 from the four serotypes, and incorporated into a sandwich format for NS1 detection. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Dec 27;11(1):669. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Hamburg, Germany.

Background: Different mosquito-borne pathogens are circulating in Iran including Sindbis virus, West Nile virus, filarioid worms and malaria parasites. However, the local transmission cycles of these pathogenic agents are poorly understood, especially because ecological data on vector species are scarce and there is limited knowledge about the host range; this understanding could help to direct species-specific vector control measurements or to prioritize research.

Methods: In the summers of 2015 and 2016, blood-fed mosquitoes were collected at 13 trapping sites on the coast of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran and at an additional trapping site in western Iran. Read More

Brain Sci 2018 Dec 24;9(1). Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Departments of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA.

West Nile virus (WNV) infection results in a spectrum of neurological symptoms, ranging from a benign fever to severe WNV neuroinvasive disease with high mortality. Many who recover from WNV neuroinvasive infection present with long-term deficits, including weakness, fatigue, and cognitive problems. While neurons are a main target of WNV, other cell types, especially astrocytes, play an important role in promoting WNV-mediated central nervous system (CNS) damage. Read More

Transplant Proc 2018 Dec 7;50(10):4057-4061. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

First described in the United States in the late 1990s, West Nile virus (WNV) infection following solid organ transplantation is a rare but life-threatening complication. The many ways in which WNV may be acquired, patient specific risk factors, and variability in clinical severity present challenges to health care providers caring for these patients. Read More

Front Genet 2018 4;9:595. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, QC, Canada.

The genus comprises many viruses (including dengue, Zika, West Nile and yellow fever viruses) which constitute important public health concerns worldwide. For several of these pathogens, neither antivirals nor vaccines are currently available. In addition to this unmet medical need, flaviviruses are of particular interest since they constitute an excellent model for the study of spatiotemporal regulation of RNA metabolism. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 12 17;12(12):e0007022. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Department of Clinical Virology, Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz, Iran.

West Nile virus (WNV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are mosquito-borne viral infections. Over the past few decades, WNV has been associated with several outbreaks involving high numbers of neuroinvasive diseases among humans. The recent re-emergence of ZIKV has been associated with congenital malformation and also with Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Read More

Antiviral Res 2019 Feb 11;162:39-43. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany. Electronic address:

The summer of 2018 in Germany was the second hottest and driest on record. These generally extremely favorable climatic conditions most likely triggered the further expansion and the efficient propagation of the zoonotic arthropod-borne West Nile virus in many Southern/Southeastern and even Central European countries. WNV infections were detected for the first time in resident wild and aviary birds, such as common blackbirds, northern goshawks and great grey owls in Eastern and Southeastern Germany. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Dec 7;19(12). Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved cellular process in which intracellular components are eliminated via lysosomal degradation to supply nutrients for organelle biogenesis and metabolic homeostasis. Flavivirus infections underlie multiple human diseases and thus exert an immense burden on public health worldwide. Mounting evidence indicates that host autophagy is subverted to modulate the life cycles of flaviviruses, such as hepatitis C virus, dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus and Zika virus. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2018 Dec 12;18(1):642. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Unité d'Entomologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, 36 Avenue Pasteur, BP 220, Dakar, Senegal.

Background: A mosquito-based arbovirus surveillance system was set up at Barkedji, Senegal after the first outbreak of Rift valley fever in West Africa in 1988. This system was recently updated using more sampling methods and collecting in greater number of ponds and villages sites.

Methods: For the current study, mosquitoes were sampled biweekly between July and December 2012 and 2013 using CDC+CO light traps set at ground and canopy level, mosquito nets baited with goat, sheep, human or chicken, light traps baited with goat, sheep and chicken; bird-baited traps using pigeons or chickens placed either at the ground or canopy level. Read More

Nat Commun 2018 12 7;9(1):5242. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Centre for Dengue Research, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 10100, Sri Lanka.

The role of NS1-specific antibodies in the pathogenesis of dengue virus infection is poorly understood. Here we investigate the immunoglobulin responses of patients with dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) to NS1. Antibody responses to recombinant-NS1 are assessed in serum samples throughout illness of patients with acute secondary DENV1 and DENV2 infection by ELISA. Read More

New Microbes New Infect 2019 Jan 21;27:9-13. Epub 2018 Oct 21.

UMR VITROME, Aix-Marseille Université, IRD, Service de Santé des Armées, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, IHU Méditerranée-Infection, Marseille, France.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne virus belonging to the genus related to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of family. It is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. The virus is maintained in a mosquito-bird-mosquito transmission cycle. Read More

Infect Genet Evol 2019 Mar 2;68:91-97. Epub 2018 Dec 2.

School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.

Here we report studies of the antigenic relationship of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV), two zoonotic flaviviruses from Italy, together with a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) strain and compared them with their genetic relationship using the immunodominant viral E protein. Thirty-nine isolates and reference strains were inactivated and used to immunize rabbits to produce hyper immune sera. Serum samples were tested by neutralization against all isolates and results visualized by generating antigenic map. Read More

Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 Nov 28;7(1):192. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, 20359, Hamburg, Germany.

The invasive mosquito species Aedes japonicus japonicus (Ae. japonicus) is widely distributed in Central Europe and is a known vector of various arboviruses in the laboratory, including flaviviruses such as Japanese Encephalitis virus or West Nile virus. However, the vector competence of Ae. Read More

Acta Virol 2018 ;62(4):386-393

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) occur sporadically and have been extensively studied because of the potential for permanent neurological damage or death. The neurotropic viruses have been reported to lead to various CNS infections. The objective of the present study is to develop an antigen detection ELISA protocol for detection and quantification of viral antigen in CNS infections by assessing the usefulness of antipeptide antibodies against potential peptides of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicella zoster virus (VZV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), dengue (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV) and Chandipura virus (CHPV). Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Nov 20;19(11). Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Biocrystallography, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.

The flavivirus family contains several important human pathogens, such as Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue, West Nile, and Yellow Fever viruses, that collectively lead to a large, global disease burden. Currently, there are no approved medicines that can target these viruses. The sudden outbreak of ZIKV infections in 2015⁻2016 posed a serious threat to global public health. Read More

Transbound Emerg Dis 2018 Nov 21. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Institute of Virology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.

This is the first report of West Nile virus (WNV) infection imported by a traveller returning from a neighbouring country to Germany (Austria). Physicians should be aware of the expansion of WNV endemic areas in Europe. Read More

Ital J Pediatr 2018 Nov 20;44(1):140. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Molecular Virology Unit, Microbiology and Virology Department, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100, Pavia, Italy.

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. Symptomatic infection happens in only about 20% of the cases, while WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND) is rare and accounts for less than 1%. There is insufficient information about natural history and clinical course in children, because underdiagnosis is common, and reports are scarce. Read More