Dual Emergence of Usutu Virus in Common Blackbirds, Eastern France, 2015

Lecollinet, Sylvie; Blanchard, Yannick; Manson, Christine; Lowenski, Steeve; Laloy, Eve; Quenault, Hélène; Touzain, Fabrice; Lucas, Pierrick; Cyril, Eraud; Bahuon, Céline; Zientara, Stéphan; Beck, Cécile; Decors, Anouk

doi:10.3201/eid2212.161272

Cited by 50 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…Surprisingly, USUV was not detected in other departments of eastern and central France in our study, whereas USUV has frequently been detected in these areas from 2015 to 2018, mainly after unusual and grouped bird fatalities [13,[16][17][18]. The year 2018 was marked by a sudden increase in the reporting of USUV outbreaks, with a massive die-off of blackbirds (Turdus merula) and captive owls (Strix nebulosa and Bubo scandiacus) in most parts of France [13,18].…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Circulation Of Usuv In Francecontrasting

confidence: 82%

“…The presence of USUV was suspected in 2009-2010 in Camargue, with six Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) displaying USUV-specific neutralizing antibodies [15]. Since then, several lineages of the virus have been detected from 2015 to 2018 in several French regions from dead birds, one human patient or mosquito pools [13,[16][17][18][19], but there is no information on the spatiotemporal circulation of USUV in France between 2009 and 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exposure of Wild Ungulates to the Usutu and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses in France in 2009–2014: Evidence of Undetected Flavivirus Circulation a Decade Ago

Bournez

Umhang

Faure³

et al. 2019

Viruses

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Flaviviruses have become increasingly important pathogens in Europe over the past few decades. A better understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of flaviviruses in France is needed to better define risk areas and to gain knowledge of the dynamics of virus transmission cycles. Serum samples from 1014 wild boar and 758 roe deer from 16 departments (administrative units) in France collected from 2009 to 2014 were screened for flavivirus antibodies using a competitive ELISA (cELISA) technique. Serum samples found to be positive or doubtful by cELISA were then tested for antibodies directed against West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), Bagaza virus (BAGV), and tick-borne encephalitis/Louping ill viruses (TBEV/LIV) by microsphere immunoassays (except BAGV) and micro-neutralization tests. USUV antibodies were detected only in southeastern and southwestern areas. TBEV/LIV antibodies were detected in serum samples from eastern, southwestern and northern departments. The results indicate continuous circulation of USUV in southern France from 2009 to 2014, which was unnoticed by the French monitoring system for bird mortality. The findings also confirm wider distribution of TBEV in the eastern part of the country than of human clinical cases. However, further studies are needed to determine the tick-borne flavivirus responsible for the seroconversion in southwestern and northern France.

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Section: Spatiotemporal Circulation Of Usuv In Francecontrasting

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure of Wild Ungulates to the Usutu and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses in France in 2009–2014: Evidence of Undetected Flavivirus Circulation a Decade Ago

Bournez

Umhang

Faure³

et al. 2019

Viruses

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“…In Europe, the virus was reported for the first time in Austria in 2001 but had been identified retrospectively in Italy in 1996 from bird samples [24,25]. Subsequently, the genome of the virus was detected in birds or mosquitoes sampled in the majority of European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Serbia, Switzerland, and Spain) [26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Virus ribonucleic acid was also detected in Israel in Culex mosquitoes collected in 2014-2015 [33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological Evidence of West Nile and Usutu Viruses Circulation in Domestic and Wild Birds in Wetlands of Mali and Madagascar in 2008

Chevalier

Marsot

Molia

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The geographical distribution and impact on animal and human health of both West Nile and Usutu viruses, two flaviviruses of the Japanese encephalitis complex, have been increasing during the past two decades. Both viruses circulate in Europe and Africa within a natural cycle between wild birds and mosquitoes, mainly from the Culex genus. We retrospectively analyzed sera from domestic and wild birds sampled in 2008 in two wetlands, namely the Inner Niger Delta, Mali, and the Lake Alaotra area, Madagascar. Sera were first tested using a commercial ID Screen West Nile Competition Multi-species ELISA kit. Then, positive sera and sera with insufficient volume for testing with ELISA were tested with a Microneutralization Test. In Mali, the observed seroprevalence in domestic birds was 28.5% [24.5; 32.8] 95%CI, 3.1 % [1.8; 5.2] 95%CI, 6.2% [3.4; 10.2] 95%CI and 9.8 % [7.3; 12.8] 95%CI, for West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), undetermined flavivirus, and WNV/USUV respectively. Regarding domestic birds of Madagascar, the observed seroprevalence was 4.4 % [2.1; 7.9]95%CI for WNV, 0.9% [0.1; 3.1] 95%CI for USUV, 1.3% [0.5; 2.8] 95%CI for undetermined flavivirus, and null for WNV/USUV. Among the 150 wild birds sampled in Madagascar, two fulvous whistling-ducks (Dendrocygna bicolor) were positive for WNV and two for an undetermined flavivirus. One white-faced whistling-duck (Dendrocygna viduata) and one Hottentot teal (Spatula hottentota) were tested positive for USUV. African and European wetlands are linked by wild bird migrations. This first detection of USUV—as well as the confirmed circulation of WNV in domestic birds of two wetlands of Mali and Madagascar—emphasizes the need to improve the surveillance, knowledge of epidemiological patterns, and phylogenetic characteristics of flavivirus in Africa, particularly in areas prone to sustained, intense flavivirus transmission such as wetlands.

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“…Nevertheless, USUV was able to invade many other European countries, including Hungary (Bakonyi et al, ), Switzerland (Steinmetz et al, ), Italy (Manarolla et al, ), Spain (Bakonyi, Busquets, & Nowotny, ; Busquets, Alba, Allepuz, Aranda, & Ignacio Nunez, ), Germany (Jost et al, ), Greece (Chaintoutis et al, ), the Czech Republic (Hubalek et al, ), Belgium (Garigliany et al, ; Garigliany et al, ), France (Lecollinet et al, ), the Netherlands (Rijks et al, ) and Croatia (Vilibic‐Cavlek et al, ). Furthermore, in the UK (Buckley et al, ) and Poland (Hubalek et al, ) serological indications for the presence of USUV were found.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Different dynamics of Usutu virus infections in Austria and Hungary, 2017–2018

Weidinger

Kolodziejek

Bakonyi

et al. 2019

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Usutu virus (USUV), a mosquito‐borne flavivirus closely related to West Nile virus, emerged in Austria in 2001, when it caused a considerable mass‐mortality of Eurasian blackbirds. Cases in birds increased until 2003 and quickly declined thereafter, presumably due to developing herd immunity. Since 2006, no further cases were recorded, until two blackbirds were tested positive in 2016. In Hungary, USUV first appeared in 2005 and has caused only sporadic infections since then. Initially, the only genetic USUV lineage found across both countries was Europe 1. This changed in 2015/2016, when Europe 2 emerged, which has since then become the prevalent lineage. Due to dispersal of these strains and introduction of new genetic lineages, USUV infections are now widespread across Europe. In 2009, the first cases of USUV‐related encephalitis were described in humans, and the virus has been frequently detected in blood donations since 2016. To monitor USUV infections among the Austrian wild bird population in 2017/2018, 86 samples were investigated by RT‐PCR. In 67 of them, USUV nucleic acid was detected (17 in 2017, 50 in 2018). The majority of succumbed birds were blackbirds, found in Vienna and Lower Austria. However, the virus also spread westwards to Upper Austria and southwards to Styria and Carinthia. In Hungary, 253 wild birds were examined, but only six of them were infected with USUV (five in 2017, one in 2018). Thus, in contrast to the considerable increase in USUV‐associated bird mortality in Austria, the number of infections in Hungary declined after a peak in 2016. Except for one case of USUV lineage Africa 3 in Austria in 2017, Europe 2 remains the most prevalent genetic lineage in both countries. Since USUV transmission largely depends on temperature, which affects vector populations, climate change may cause more frequent USUV outbreaks in the future.

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Dual Emergence of Usutu Virus in Common Blackbirds, Eastern France, 2015

Cited by 50 publications

References 10 publications

Exposure of Wild Ungulates to the Usutu and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses in France in 2009–2014: Evidence of Undetected Flavivirus Circulation a Decade Ago

Exposure of Wild Ungulates to the Usutu and Tick-Borne Encephalitis Viruses in France in 2009–2014: Evidence of Undetected Flavivirus Circulation a Decade Ago

Serological Evidence of West Nile and Usutu Viruses Circulation in Domestic and Wild Birds in Wetlands of Mali and Madagascar in 2008

Different dynamics of Usutu virus infections in Austria and Hungary, 2017–2018

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