Assessing West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) exposure in bird ringers in the Netherlands: a high-risk group for WNV and USUV infection?

West Nile Virus Infection in Occupational Settings—A Systematic Review

“…Particularly, there is evidence of the circulation of WNV-infected mosquito vectors even in places where no human or animal infection had been reported so far and in previously unreported regions, probably also due to climate change [ 4 ]. In fact, the analysis of papers selected for this review showed the presence of WNV cases in European areas previously considered non-endemic, such as the Netherlands, Slovakia and Greece [ 21 , 25 , 29 ]. In recent decades, Europe has witnessed an increase in the recurrence, expansion of outbreak areas and higher incidence associated with WNV outbreaks, especially in 2010 and 2018 [ 45 ].…”

“…In Figure 2, the geographic locations of the different studies and the local epidemic/ endemic situation at the time of data collection are reported. In a 2021 Dutch study conducted by de Bellegarde de Saint Lary [21], the prevalence of WNV infection was evaluated within a group of 157 bird-ringers (high-risk group), after the identification in 2020 in the country of WNV-positive birds and patients exhibiting unexplained neurological disorders. The findings of the study imply that individuals with elevated occupational exposure could serve as a valuable addition to existing surveillance systems for monitoring birds and patients.…”

“… Geographical location and WNV epidemic/endemic status at the time of data collection of the selected studies [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. …”

A One Health approach to predict, monitor and prevent arbovirus infections, an extensive case study from the Netherlands - Editorial

“…De Bellegarde et al , set out to understand the risk to humans of USUV and WNV in the Netherlands, by studying the exposure to arboviruses in bird ringers, using serology. They found that bird ringers more often have antibodies to Usutu virus than community controls [ 23 ]. They also show that the interpretation of arbovirus serology is not straightforward and that well-designed cohort studies and testing algorithms are important.…”

“…In addition, vaccines can be used as intervention measure to reduce human health impact. This may be applied in risk populations [ 23 ]. Therefore, van Bree et al reviewed recent developments in novel vaccine platforms that can be used to rationally design live-attenuated vaccine candidates [ 24 ].…”