Presence of the sandfly-borne phlebovirus (Toscana virus) in different bio-geographical regions of Algeria demonstrated by a microneutralisation-based seroprevalence study in owned dogs

Epidemiology, Isolation, and Genetic Characterization of Toscana Virus in Algerian Patients Displaying Neurological Infection, 2016–2018

“…As in other studies conducted in the Maghreb, most patients were living in coastal provinces [13 , 10] . Interestingly, TOSV cases were also identified in inland Wilayas known for the high activity of sand flies and where TOSV-specific antibodies were detected in dogs [27 , 12] . Among these Wilayas, two are bordering Tunisia and Morocco, where TOSV circulation was described [15 , 10] .…”

“…Previous studies investigating TOSV circulation in Algeria focused exclusively on seroprevalence and virus detection in sand flies [11 , 12] . As far as we know, this is the first study addressing TOSV neuro-invasive disease in Algeria.…”

“…One study revealed that over than 45% of the healthy population of the Kabylia region (northern Algeria) was positive for IgG anti-TOSV [11] . In another study, serum analysis showed that the seroprevalence of TOSV in Algerian canine population was 4.5% [12] .…”

“…Seroprevalence of TOSV in Tunisia stands around 8.5 % [10] . Although there have been no reports of neuro-invasive infection caused by TOSV in other North African countries, some seroprevalence studies provided evidence of TOSV infection in humans and animals in Algeria [11 , 12] . One study revealed that over than 45% of the healthy population of the Kabylia region (northern Algeria) was positive for IgG anti-TOSV [11] .…”