Serological Evidence of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses Circulation in Hunting Dogs in Campania Region, Italy

Montagnaro, Serena; Piantedosi, Diego; Ciarcia, Roberto; Loponte, Rosa; Veneziano, Vincenzo; Fusco, Giovanna; Amoroso, Maria Grazia; Ferrara, Gianmarco; Damiano, Sara; Iovane, G.; Pagnini, Ugo

doi:10.1089/vbz.2018.2337

Cited by 28 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Negative results obtained by molecular biology assay are similar to the results obtained by Gutierrez-Guzman et al [19] in wild boar, red fox and other wild animals in 2012; by our group in hunting dogs [35], by Maggi et al [29] and Lelli et al [30] in human and horses respectively. In fact, viremia developed by human and other mammals infected by most of Flavivirus circulating in Europe is a low-level/short-lived viremia [36,37].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In fact, viremia developed by human and other mammals infected by most of Flavivirus circulating in Europe is a low-level/short-lived viremia [36,37]. Indeed "dead-end" hosts like mammals, including humans, usually don't represent amplifying hosts, but could be used as sentinels for their serological reaction [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

Zottola

Ferrara

Iovane

et al. 2020

Animals

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Simple Summary: A retrospective study was carried out on the presence of Flavivirus antibodies in the European wild boar (Sus scorfa) in the Lazio region of Italy. 168 serum samples from European wild boars were tested by cELISA, virus neutralization test (VNT), and RT-PCR. All sera that had cELISA anti-Flavivirus antibodies were further examined by the VNT. Thirteen wild boars (7.73%) were positive for Flavivirus by cELISA, a single European wild boar serum was positive for VNT, with a neutralizing antibody titer 1/14. No samples resulted positive for Flavivirus by RT-PCR assay.Abstract: Background: A retrospective sero-survey for evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in European wild boar (Sus scorfa) was conducted in the Latium region, Italy, on stored serum samples of the period November 2011 to January 2012. Methods: Sera were collected from 168 European wild boars and screened for antibodies to WNV and other Flaviviruses by competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). All sera positive for Flavivirus antibodies by cELISA were further examined by virus neutralization test (VNT). To test the presence of Flavivirus RNA in samples, an RT-PCR was performed using a pan-Flavivirus primers pair. Results: Thirteen wild boars (7.73%) were seropositive for Flaviviruses. The hemolysis of serum samples limited the interpretation of the VNT for 7 samples, confirming the presence of specific antibody against WNV in a single European wild boar serum sample. The presence of ELISA positive/VNT negative samples suggests the occurrence of non-neutralizing antibodies against WNV or other antigen-related Flaviviruses. No samples resulted positive for Flavivirus by RT-PCR assay. Conclusion: Although a moderately high percentage of animals with specific antibody for WNV has been detected in wild boar in other surveillance studies in Europe, this has not been reported previously in Italy. Together, these data indicate that European wild boar are exposed to WNV and/or other related-Flavivirus in central Italy and confirm the usefulness of wild ungulates, as suitable Flavivirus sentinels.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

Zottola

Ferrara

Iovane

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…caspius [ 16 ]. In 2011–2012, a serologic survey was conducted in hunting dogs in the Campania region (South Italy) with an overall prevalence of 13.11% [ 24 ]. A total of 158 gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) from northern Italy (Piedmont and Lombardy region) sampled between 2011 and 2013 showed USUV seropositivity of 3.2 to 3.8% [ 25 ].…”

Section: Italymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…USUV RNA was also found in bats ( Pipistrellus pipistrellus ) in Germany and Belgium [ 19 , 20 ]. Moreover, USUV antibodies were sporadically detected in horses [ 21 , 22 , 23 ], dogs [ 24 ], squirrels [ 25 ], wild boar, roe deer [ 26 ] and lizards [ 27 ] ( Figure 1 ), expanding the USUV host range ( Figure 1 ), however these species are considered incidental hosts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epidemiology of Usutu Virus: The European Scenario

et al. 2020

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Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging arbovirus isolated in 1959 (Usutu River, Swaziland). Previously restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, the virus was introduced in Europe in 1996. While the USUV has received little attention in Africa, the virus emergence has prompted numerous studies with robust epidemiological surveillance programs in Europe. The natural transmission cycle of USUV involves mosquitoes (vectors) and birds (amplifying hosts) with humans and other mammals considered incidental (“dead-end”) hosts. In Africa, the virus was isolated in mosquitoes, rodents and birds and serologically detected in horses and dogs. In Europe, USUV was detected in bats, whereas antibodies were found in different animal species (horses, dogs, squirrels, wild boar, deer and lizards). While bird mortalities were not reported in Africa, in Europe USUV was shown to be highly pathogenic for several bird species, especially blackbirds (Turdus merula) and great gray owls (Strix nebulosa). Furthermore, neurotropism of USUV for humans was reported for the first time in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Epizootics and genetic diversity of USUV in different bird species as well as detection of the virus in mosquitoes suggest repeated USUV introductions into Europe with endemization in some countries. The zoonotic potential of USUV has been reported in a growing number of human cases. Clinical cases of neuroinvasive disease and USUV fever, as well as seroconversion in blood donors were reported in Europe since 2009. While most USUV strains detected in humans, birds and mosquitoes belong to European USUV lineages, several reports indicate the presence of African lineages as well. Since spreading trends of USUV are likely to continue, continuous multidisciplinary interventions (“One Health” concept) should be conducted for monitoring and prevention of this emerging arboviral infection.

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“…This study involved samples from Red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), Fallow deer ( Dama dama ), European mouflon ( Ovis aries musimon ) and Roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), collected between 2003 and 2014 in Spanish hunting parks. Serological tests (ELISA and serum neutralisation) have shown the circulation of USUV in hunting dogs in southern Italy (1.3% of the tested animals) [ 62 ]. More recently USUV has been isolated from rodent and shrew species in Senegal [ 63 ].…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Usutu virus: A new threat?

et al. 2019

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Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging arbovirus that was first isolated in South Africa in 1959. This Flavivirus is maintained in the environment through a typical enzootic cycle involving mosquitoes and birds. USUV has spread to a large part of the European continent over the two decades mainly leading to substantial avian mortalities with a significant recrudescence of bird infections recorded throughout Europe within the few last years. USUV infection in humans is considered to be most often asymptomatic or to cause mild clinical signs. Nonetheless, a few cases of neurological complications such as encephalitis or meningoencephalitis have been reported. USUV and West Nile virus (WNV) share many features, like a close phylogenetic relatedness and a similar ecology, with co-circulation frequently observed in nature. However, USUV has been much less studied and in-depth comparisons of the biology of these viruses are yet rare. In this review, we discuss the main body of knowledge regarding USUV and compare it with the literature on WNV, addressing in particular virological and clinical aspects, and pointing data gaps.

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Serological Evidence of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses Circulation in Hunting Dogs in Campania Region, Italy

Cited by 28 publications

References 47 publications

West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

Epidemiology of Usutu Virus: The European Scenario

Usutu virus: A new threat?

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