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Ugeskrift For Laeger Mar 2023This is a case report of encephalitis and myeloradiculitis due to West Nile virus (WNV) with a fatal outcome in a 76-year-old male returning from a vacation in Serbia....
This is a case report of encephalitis and myeloradiculitis due to West Nile virus (WNV) with a fatal outcome in a 76-year-old male returning from a vacation in Serbia. In 2022 during transmission season, there was an outbreak of WNV infection in the southern part of Europe and the incidence is expected to increase globally in the future due to global warming. Currently, no antiviral treatments or vaccines against WNV are available for humans; hence, mosquito bite prevention is crucial in epidemic areas.
Topics: Male; Humans; Aged; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus; Europe; Disease Outbreaks; Epidemics
PubMed: 36999283
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of Neuroinflammation Sep 2023Flaviviruses are arthropod-borne RNA viruses found worldwide that, when introduced into the human body, cause diseases, including neuroinfections, that can lead to... (Review)
Review
Flaviviruses are arthropod-borne RNA viruses found worldwide that, when introduced into the human body, cause diseases, including neuroinfections, that can lead to serious metabolic consequences and even death. Some of the diseases caused by flaviviruses occur continuously in certain regions, while others occur intermittently or sporadically, causing epidemics. Some of the most common flaviviruses are West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Zika virus and Japanese encephalitis virus. Since all the above-mentioned viruses are capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier through different mechanisms, their actions also affect the central nervous system (CNS). Like other viruses, flaviviruses, after entering the human body, contribute to redox imbalance and, consequently, to oxidative stress, which promotes inflammation in skin cells, in the blood and in CNS. This review focuses on discussing the effects of oxidative stress and inflammation resulting from pathogen invasion on the metabolic antiviral response of the host, and the ability of viruses to evade the consequences of metabolic changes or exploit them for increased replication and further progression of infection, which affects the development of sequelae and difficulties in therapy.
Topics: Humans; Flavivirus; West Nile virus; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese; Zika Virus; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne; Inflammation; Central Nervous System Infections; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 37775774
DOI: 10.1186/s12974-023-02898-4 -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Aug 2023Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes or ticks, and in the continental United States, West...
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes or ticks, and in the continental United States, West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of domestically acquired arboviral disease. Other arboviruses cause sporadic cases of disease as well as occasional outbreaks. This report summarizes 2021 surveillance data reported to CDC by U.S. jurisdictions for nationally notifiable arboviruses; the report excludes chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika virus disease cases, because these infections were acquired primarily through travel during 2021. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia reported 3,035 cases of domestic arboviral disease, including those caused by West Nile (2,911), La Crosse (40), Jamestown Canyon (32), Powassan (24), St. Louis encephalitis (17), unspecified California serogroup (six), and eastern equine encephalitis (five) viruses. Among the WNV disease cases, 2,008 (69%) were classified as neuroinvasive disease, for a national incidence of 0.61 cases per 100,000 population. Because arboviral diseases continue to cause serious illness, maintaining surveillance programs to monitor their transmission and prevalence is important to the direction and promotion of prevention activities. Health care providers should consider arboviral infections in the differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis, obtain appropriate specimens for laboratory testing, and promptly report cases to public health authorities. Prevention depends on community and household efforts to reduce vector populations and personal protective measures to prevent mosquito and tick bites, such as use of Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent and wearing protective clothing.
Topics: Horses; Animals; Humans; West Nile virus; Mosquito Vectors; Arbovirus Infections; Yellow Fever; District of Columbia; Zika Virus Infection; Culicidae; Zika Virus
PubMed: 37616182
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7234a1 -
Communications Biology Jan 2022It is unclear whether West Nile virus (WNV) circulates endemically in Portugal. Despite the country's adequate climate for transmission, Portugal has only reported four...
It is unclear whether West Nile virus (WNV) circulates endemically in Portugal. Despite the country's adequate climate for transmission, Portugal has only reported four human WNV infections so far. We performed a review of WNV-related data (1966-2020), explored mosquito (2016-2019) and land type distributions (1992-2019), and used climate data (1981-2019) to estimate WNV transmission suitability in Portugal. Serological and molecular evidence of WNV circulation from animals and vectors was largely restricted to the south. Land type and climate-driven transmission suitability distributions, but not the distribution of WNV-capable vectors, were compatible with the North-South divide present in serological and molecular evidence of WNV circulation. Our study offers a comprehensive, data-informed perspective and review on the past epidemiology, surveillance and climate-driven transmission suitability of WNV in Portugal, highlighting the south as a subregion of importance. Given the recent WNV outbreaks across Europe, our results support a timely change towards local, active surveillance.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Climate; Culicidae; Humans; Mosquito Vectors; Portugal; Seasons; Species Specificity; Weather; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus
PubMed: 35013546
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02969-3 -
Nature Communications Oct 2023It is unclear whether West Nile virus (WNV) circulates between Africa and Europe, despite numerous studies supporting an African origin and high transmission in Europe....
It is unclear whether West Nile virus (WNV) circulates between Africa and Europe, despite numerous studies supporting an African origin and high transmission in Europe. We integrated genomic data with geographic observations and phylogenetic and phylogeographic inferences to uncover the spatial and temporal viral dynamics of WNV between these two continents. We focused our analysis towards WNV lineages 1 (L1) and 2 (L2), the most spatially widespread and pathogenic WNV lineages. Our study shows a Northern-Western African origin of L1, with back-and-forth exchanges between West Africa and Southern-Western Europe; and a Southern African origin of L2, with one main introduction from South Africa to Europe, and no back introductions observed. We also noticed a potential overlap between L1 and L2 Eastern and Western phylogeography and two Afro-Palearctic bird migratory flyways. Future studies linking avian and mosquito species susceptibility, migratory connectivity patterns, and phylogeographic inference are suggested to elucidate the dynamics of emerging viruses.
Topics: Animals; West Nile virus; West Nile Fever; Phylogeny; Europe; South Africa; Birds
PubMed: 37833275
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42185-7 -
Emerging Microbes & Infections Dec 2023West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. Severe forms of West Nile disease (WND) can curse with meningitis,...
West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. Severe forms of West Nile disease (WND) can curse with meningitis, encephalitis or acute flaccid paralysis. A better understanding of the physiopathology associated with disease progression is mandatory to find biomarkers and effective therapies. In this scenario, blood derivatives (plasma and serum) constitute the more commonly used biofluids due to its ease of collection and high value for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, the potential impact of this virus in the circulating lipidome was addressed combining the analysis of samples from experimentally infected mice and naturally WND patients. Our results unveil dynamic alterations in the lipidome that define specific metabolic fingerprints of different infection stages. Concomitant with neuroinvasion in mice, the lipid landscape was dominated by a metabolic reprograming that resulted in significant elevations of circulating sphingolipids (ceramides, dihydroceramides, and dihydrosphingomyelins), phosphatidylethanolamines and triacylglycerols. Remarkably, patients suffering from WND also displayed an elevation of ceramides, dihydroceramides, lactosylceramides, and monoacylglycerols in their sera. The dysregulation of sphingolipid metabolism by WNV may provide new therapeutic opportunities and supports the potential of certain lipids as novel peripheral biomarkers of WND progression.
Topics: Animals; Mice; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus; Sphingolipids; Ceramides; Biomarkers
PubMed: 37377355
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2231556 -
Viruses Sep 2019Flaviviruses are the most medically relevant group of arboviruses causing a wide range of diseases in humans and are associated with high mortality and morbidity, as... (Review)
Review
Flaviviruses are the most medically relevant group of arboviruses causing a wide range of diseases in humans and are associated with high mortality and morbidity, as such posing a major health concern. Viruses belonging to this family can be endemic (e.g., dengue virus), but can also cause fulminant outbreaks (e.g., West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus and Zika virus). Intense research efforts in the past decades uncovered shared fundamental strategies used by flaviviruses to successfully replicate in their respective hosts. However, the distinct features contributing to the specific host and tissue tropism as well as the pathological outcomes unique to each individual flavivirus are still largely elusive. The profound footprint of individual viruses on their respective hosts can be investigated using novel technologies in the field of proteomics that have rapidly developed over the last decade. An unprecedented sensitivity and throughput of mass spectrometers, combined with the development of new sample preparation and bioinformatics analysis methods, have made the systematic investigation of virus-host interactions possible. Furthermore, the ability to assess dynamic alterations in protein abundances, protein turnover rates and post-translational modifications occurring in infected cells now offer the unique possibility to unravel complex viral perturbations induced in the infected host. In this review, we discuss the most recent contributions of mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches in flavivirus biology with a special focus on Zika virus, and their basic and translational potential and implications in understanding and characterizing host responses to arboviral infections.
Topics: Animals; Cytoplasm; Dengue Virus; Flavivirus; Host Microbial Interactions; Humans; Mass Spectrometry; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Proteomics; Viral Tropism; West Nile virus; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 31546825
DOI: 10.3390/v11090878 -
Journal of Medical Entomology Oct 2019The introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to North America in 1999 and its subsequent rapid spread across the Americas demonstrated the potential impact of arboviral... (Review)
Review
The introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to North America in 1999 and its subsequent rapid spread across the Americas demonstrated the potential impact of arboviral introductions to new regions, and this was reinforced by the subsequent introductions of chikungunya and Zika viruses. Extensive studies of host-pathogen-vector-environment interactions over the past two decades have illuminated many aspects of the ecology and evolution of WNV and other arboviruses, including the potential for pathogen adaptation to hosts and vectors, the influence of climate, land use and host immunity on transmission ecology, and the difficulty in preventing the establishment of a zoonotic pathogen with abundant wildlife reservoirs. Here, we focus on outstanding questions concerning the introduction, spread, and establishment of WNV in the Americas, and what it can teach us about the future of arboviral introductions. Key gaps in our knowledge include the following: viral adaptation and coevolution of hosts, vectors and the virus; the mechanisms and species involved in the large-scale spatial spread of WNV; how weather modulates WNV transmission; the drivers of large-scale variation in enzootic transmission; the ecology of WNV transmission in Latin America; and the relative roles of each component of host-virus-vector interactions in spatial and temporal variation in WNV transmission. Integrative studies that examine multiple factors and mechanisms simultaneously are needed to advance our knowledge of mechanisms driving transmission.
Topics: Adaptation, Biological; Animals; Central America; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; North America; South America; West Nile Fever; West Nile virus; Zoonoses
PubMed: 31549719
DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz151 -
Viruses Oct 2023Flaviviruses are a family of enveloped viruses with a positive-sense RNA genome, transmitted by arthropod vectors. These viruses are known for their broad cellular... (Review)
Review
Flaviviruses are a family of enveloped viruses with a positive-sense RNA genome, transmitted by arthropod vectors. These viruses are known for their broad cellular tropism leading to infection of multiple body systems, which can include the central nervous system. Neurologic effects of flavivirus infection can arise during both acute and post-acute infectious periods; however, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying post-acute sequelae are not fully understood. Here, we review recent studies that have examined molecular and cellular mechanisms that may contribute to neurologic sequelae following infection with the West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Zika virus, dengue virus, and St. Louis encephalitis virus. Neuronal death, either from direct infection or due to the resultant inflammatory response, is a common mechanism by which flavivirus infection can lead to neurologic impairment. Other types of cellular damage, such as oxidative stress and DNA damage, appear to be more specific to certain viruses. This article aims to highlight mechanisms of cellular damage that are common across several flavivirus members and mechanisms that are more unique to specific members. Our goal is to inspire further research to improve understanding of this area in the hope of identifying treatment options for flavivirus-associated neurologic changes.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Culicidae; Mosquito Vectors; Flavivirus Infections; Flavivirus; West Nile virus; Zika Virus; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 38005878
DOI: 10.3390/v15112200 -
Journal of Vector Borne Diseases 2023West Nile virus (WNV) is a rapidly spreading mosquito-transmitted zoonotic flavivirus. Mosquitoes belonging to the genus Culex are incriminated as the principal vectors... (Review)
Review
West Nile virus (WNV) is a rapidly spreading mosquito-transmitted zoonotic flavivirus. Mosquitoes belonging to the genus Culex are incriminated as the principal vectors of the virus, which causes West Nile fever (WNF) in humans. Manifestations of WNF include a mild, self-limiting, flu-like illness, which in severe cases (rare) may progress to encephalitis, resulting in life-threatening consequences. WNV is geographically distributed worldwide, covering Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia (except Antarctica). The virus exists in a bird-mosquito transmission cycle in nature, with humans and horses as incidental/accidental hosts. The virus can infect a large variety of hosts worldwide, i.e., about 300 birds and around 70 different mosquito species belonging to several genera. For a long time, it was believed that WNV was not highly virulent and caused only mild infection globally. However, the recent frequent and increasing incidence of clinically severe WNV infections, such as encephalitis in humans and horses with significant mortality, has been reported in the Americas, Europe, and several East Asian countries. The emergence of lineage 2 strains endemic to Africa, with epidemic potential in humans and horses in Europe, is considered a serious global health concern. Although WNV is known to circulate in India since 1952, its re-emergence with severe neuro-invasive pathogenic potential in humans in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu states signals urgent efforts to understand the dynamics of circulating strains with regard to its vector, hosts, and environment. This could be done by prioritizing "One Health" approach for developing effective preventive and control strategies. In view of the global interest, we present an overview of the circulating genetic lineages of WNV in India in comparison with the global scenario. In addition, we stress on holistic approaches of "One Health" strategy as the current need of the hour for designing effective preventive and control strategies in the country.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Horses; West Nile virus; India; Mosquito Vectors; West Nile Fever; Culicidae; Birds
PubMed: 37843232
DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.374039