West Nile virus keeps on moving up in Europe

Bakonyi, Tamás; Haussig, Joana M

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.46.2001938

Cited by 109 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In recent years, outbreaks of WNV infections have hit many European countries, with the peak notification rate of 0.3 cases per 100,000 during 2018 [ 1 , 2 , 12 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Even though WNV is often described as an “emerging pathogen”, when it comes to Italy, this definition may represent a sort of misnomer: as confirmed by our analyses, large areas of Northern Italy have become endemic to this infection since early 2010s [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 30 ], with around one-fifth of the total population living in areas at risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to other arboviruses (e.g., tick-borne encephalitis virus or TBEV) [ 9 , 10 ], WNV is currently spreading in Europe [ 1 , 2 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], alongside the routes of migratory birds [ 1 ]. After the first European outbreak in Camargue, Southern France (1962), WNV has regularly involved larger areas in Eastern, Western, and Southern Europe, with a seasonal trend from April to November.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some earlier reports on the integrated surveillance system have been published [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], but all of them predates the transmission season of 2018, in which 1605 confirmed cases reported across European countries nearly doubled the total cases registered in the previous three years combined [ 21 , 22 ]. Moreover, despite the quarantine measures that various EU countries implemented during 2020, the WNV transmission season was associated with remarkable outbreaks both in previously affected and previously spared areas, with a proportion of WNND that largely exceeded the average of previous 5 years [ 12 , 23 ]. As a consequence, an updated and comprehensive reappraisal of surveillance data may be particularly useful to national and local health authorities for the implementation of appropriate response measures, including blood safety, and preventive campaigns focusing on vector control and communication [ 19 , 24 , 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Epidemiology of West Nile Virus Infections in Humans, Italy, 2012–2020: A Summary of Available Evidences

Riccò

Peruzzi

Balzarini³

2021

TropicalMed

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In Italy, human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection have been recorded since 2008, and seasonal outbreaks have occurred almost annually. In this study, we summarize available evidences on the epidemiology of WNV and West Nile neuro-invasive disease (WNND) in humans reported between 2012 and 2020. In total, 1145 WNV infection cases were diagnosed; of them 487 (42.5%) had WNND. A significant circulation of the pathogen was suggested by studies on blood donors, with annual incidence rates ranging from 1.353 (95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 0.279–3.953) to 19.069 cases per 100,000 specimens (95% CI 13.494–26.174). The annual incidence rates of WNND increased during the study period from 0.047 cases per 100,000 (95% CI 0.031–0.068) in 2012, to 0.074 cases per 100,000 (95% CI 0.054–0.099) in 2020, peaking to 0.377 cases per 100,000 (95% CI 0.330–0.429) in 2018. There were 60 deaths. Cases of WNND were clustered in Northern Italy, particularly in the Po River Valley, during the months of August (56.7%) and September (27.5%). Higher risk for WNND was reported in subjects of male sex (risk ratio (RR) 1.545, 95% CI 1.392–1.673 compared to females), and in older age groups (RR 24.46, 95% CI 15.61–38.32 for 65–74 y.o.; RR 43.7, 95% CI 28.33–67.41 for subjects older than 75 years), while main effectors were identified in average air temperatures (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.3219, 95% CI 1.0053–1.7383), population density (IRR 1.0004, 95% CI 1.0001–1.0008), and occurrence of cases in the nearby provinces (IRR 1.0442, 95% CI 1.0340–1.0545). In summary, an enhanced surveillance is vital for the early detection of human cases and the prompt implementation of response measures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Epidemiology of West Nile Virus Infections in Humans, Italy, 2012–2020: A Summary of Available Evidences

Riccò

Peruzzi

Balzarini³

2021

TropicalMed

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The recent epidemiological history of WNV in Europe is characterised by increasing epidemic activity in countries including France, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine [18,19]. In 2018, the continent reported its largest epidemic ever across many countries, exceeding cumulative infections since 2010 [20]. In 2020, the first autochthonous human infections were reported in the Netherlands [21], and Spain had its largest epidemic to date including regions previously not affected [22,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

West Nile virus in Portugal

Lourenço

Zé-Zé³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen with a globally expanding geographical range. Many European countries regularly report outbreaks affecting both human and equine populations, with an increase in epidemic activity in the past decade. Portugal, on the far west of Europe, has not yet experienced large outbreaks of WNV, despite its suitable Mediterranean climate. Objectives: To provide a comprehensive, data-driven perspective on the past epidemiology, surveillance and transmission suitability of WNV in Portugal. Methods: Literature and database reviews were performed, covering the period between 1966 and 2020 on existing evidence for WNV circulation. Climatic data was used to estimate the theoretical transmission potential of WNV, and to analyse long-term climate trends between 1981 and 2019. Results: Existing data show that WNV-capable mosquito species are spread across the country, while WNV molecular and serological evidence is vastly concentrated in the south. Our analyses suggest that two different climate types, characteristic of the north and south of Portugal, contribute to quantitative differences in WNV theoretical transmission potential. This supports the north-south divide observed from previous molecular and serological evidence. Due to long-term changes in local climate, suitability for WNV transmission is shown to have been slowly increasing in the country. Discussion: Data and theoretical analyses support the notion that the south of Portugal is more suitable for WNV transmission, while not rejecting the possibility of transmission in the north. Mosquito monitoring has been effective, but surveillance of key sentinel species remains passive, creating important knowledge gaps for epidemic control and public health. To date, evidence supports WNV circulation, but it remains unclear whether it is endemic or sporadically transmitted. This study supports a timely change towards WNV active surveillance, to avoid and mitigate potential public health emergencies as those recently observed in other European countries.

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“…Several of these Culex -borne diseases, particularly West Nile and lymphatic filariasis, pose a significant risk to human health. WNV hospitalizations in the US alone impose an average of ~$56M per year in health care costs 2 , resulting in several annual deaths and thousands of diagnosed cases 3,4 Lymphatic filariasis is a major public health burden in developing countries, where advanced stages of the disease can cause the chronic debilitating condition elephantiasis 5,6 . Within the genus, Culex quinquefasciatus has the greatest impact on human health due to its widespread distribution in urban and suburban areas and larval tolerance to polluted water reservoirs associated with human and livestock populations 7,8 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimized CRISPR tools and site-directed transgenesis inCulex quinquefasciatusmosquitoes for gene drive development

Feng

Amo

Mameli

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Culex mosquitoes are a global vector for multiple human and animal diseases, including West Nile virus, lymphatic filariasis, and avian malaria, posing a constant threat to public health, livestock, companion animals, and endangered birds. While rising insecticide resistance has threatened the control of Culex mosquitoes, advances in CRISPR genome-editing tools have fostered the development of alternative genetic strategies such as gene drive systems to fight disease vectors. However, though gene-drive technology has quickly progressed in other mosquitoes, advances have been lacking in Culex. Here, we developed a Culex-specific Cas9/gRNA expression toolkit and used site-directed homology-based transgenesis to generate and validate a Culex quinquefasciatus Cas9-expressing line. We showed that gRNA scaffold variants improve transgenesis efficiency in both Culex and Drosophila and boost gene-drive performance in the fruit fly. These findings support future technology development to control Culex mosquitoes and provide valuable insight for improving these tools in other species.

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West Nile virus keeps on moving up in Europe

Cited by 109 publications

References 12 publications

Epidemiology of West Nile Virus Infections in Humans, Italy, 2012–2020: A Summary of Available Evidences

Epidemiology of West Nile Virus Infections in Humans, Italy, 2012–2020: A Summary of Available Evidences

West Nile virus in Portugal

Optimized CRISPR tools and site-directed transgenesis inCulex quinquefasciatusmosquitoes for gene drive development

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