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Comparative Immunology, Microbiology... Sep 2022Toscana virus (TOSV) is major meningitis and meningoencephalitis agent in the Mediterranean basin. Dogs are frequently exposed to TOSV; thereby they can contribute to...
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.
Toscana virus (TOSV) is major meningitis and meningoencephalitis agent in the Mediterranean basin. Dogs are frequently exposed to TOSV; thereby they can contribute to estimating its circulation. In Algeria, little is known about its circulation, and available data are restricted to the Kabylian region. To investigate the current situation in Algeria, a total of 205 dog sera collected from 13 different wilayas over the country were analyzed by using in-house Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and microneutralization test (MNT). An overall seroprevalence rate of 20% (14.5-25.5%) was observed by ELISA. Whereas, a seroprevalence rate of 4.56% (1.65-7.43%) was recorded by microneutralization test elucidating the exact occurrence of TOSV exposure in dogs, in Algeria. Positive dogs were detected from the areas of Algiers, Bejaia, Blida, Bouira, Medea, Setif, and Tlemcen in the north; Laghouat in the high lands and Tamanrasset in great Sahara. Only one serum, originating from Bejaia in the north east, was positive for both testing methods, while 8/9 positive sera in MNT remained negative in ELISA. MNT negative/ELISA positive result of 40/41 might suggest evidence for dog transmission, and circulation of phleboviruses other than TOSV. Noticeably, TOSV and antigenically related viruses are largely prevalent. Thus, they are not only confined to Kabylia region, but are widespread in Algeria, despite its climate diversity.
Topics: Algeria; Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Dogs; Phlebovirus; Psychodidae; Sandfly fever Naples virus; Seroepidemiologic Studies
PubMed: 35926272
DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2022.101861 -
Scientific Reports Aug 2019Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by the SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV). SFTS patients were first reported in China,...
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging hemorrhagic fever caused by the SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV). SFTS patients were first reported in China, followed by Japan and South Korea. In 2017, cats were diagnosed with SFTS for the first time, suggesting that these animals are susceptible to SFTSV. To confirm whether or not cats were indeed susceptible to SFTSV, animal subjects were experimentally infected with SFTSV. Four of the six cats infected with the SPL010 strain of SFTSV died, all showing similar or more severe symptoms than human SFTS patients, such as a fever, leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, weight loss, anorexia, jaundice and depression. High levels of SFTSV RNA loads were detected in the serum, eye swab, saliva, rectal swab and urine, indicating a risk of direct human infection from SFTS-infected animals. Histopathologically, acute necrotizing lymphadenitis and hemophagocytosis were prominent in the lymph nodes and spleen. Severe hemorrhaging was observed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. B cell lineage cells with MUM-1 and CD20, but not Pax-5 in the lesions were predominantly infected with SFTSV. The present study demonstrated that cats were highly susceptible to SFTSV. The risk of direct infection from SFTS-infected cats to humans should therefore be considered.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Biopsy; Cat Diseases; Cats; Disease Susceptibility; Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral; Phlebovirus; Symptom Assessment
PubMed: 31427690
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48317-8 -
Viruses Jun 2016The genus Phlebovirus of the family Bunyaviridae contains a number of emerging virus species which pose a threat to both human and animal health. Most prominent members... (Review)
Review
The genus Phlebovirus of the family Bunyaviridae contains a number of emerging virus species which pose a threat to both human and animal health. Most prominent members include Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV), sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), Toscana virus (TOSV), Punta Toro virus (PTV), and the two new members severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and Heartland virus (HRTV). The nonstructural protein NSs is well established as the main phleboviral virulence factor in the mammalian host. NSs acts as antagonist of the antiviral type I interferon (IFN) system. Recent progress in the elucidation of the molecular functions of a growing list of NSs proteins highlights the astonishing variety of strategies employed by phleboviruses to evade the IFN system.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immune Evasion; Interferon Type I; Phlebovirus; Viral Nonstructural Proteins
PubMed: 27338447
DOI: 10.3390/v8060174 -
Viruses Dec 2021Dear Professor Remi N. Charrel and Professor Jerome Depaquit, we thank you for your interest in our research and for your kind suggestions [...].
Reply to Charrel, R.N.; Depaquit, J. Comment on "Xu et al. Isolation and Identification of a Novel Phlebovirus, Hedi Virus, from Sandflies Collected in China. 2021, , 772".
Dear Professor Remi N. Charrel and Professor Jerome Depaquit, we thank you for your interest in our research and for your kind suggestions [...].
Topics: Animals; China; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Psychodidae
PubMed: 34960691
DOI: 10.3390/v13122422 -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2023The genus Bandavirus, belonging to family Phenuiviridae, order Bunyavirales, consists of eight tick-borne bunyaviruses. The Dabie bandavirus, formerly known as severe...
The genus Bandavirus, belonging to family Phenuiviridae, order Bunyavirales, consists of eight tick-borne bunyaviruses. The Dabie bandavirus, formerly known as severe fever with thrombocytopenia virus (SFTSV), belongs to the genus Bandavirus. This emerging pathogen was first identified in central China in 2009. In recent years, the disease has been reported to cause several outbreaks in eastern Asia areas, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Tick-to-human transmission is the main route of infection in humans, and transmission via the contact of body fluids from person-to-person was also reported. Despite its high fatality rate, there is currently no vaccine or antiviral therapy available. The therapeutic efficacies of several antiviral agents against Dabie bandavirus are still being evaluated. However, the virus is a potent pathogen with high biosafety experimental conditions. Therefore, replication-incompetent pseudotyped viruses play an important role. In this chapter, we succinctly summarize the basic features concerning Dabie bandavirus, including virion structure, genome characteristics, especially the characteristics of glycoprotein, and probable pathogenic mechanism. And, we put an important part in expounding the construction of pseudoviruses and its application.
Topics: Humans; Phlebovirus; Viral Pseudotyping; RNA Viruses; Glycoproteins; Antiviral Agents
PubMed: 36920702
DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-0113-5_14 -
Viruses Aug 2022According to ICTV, there are currently 66 known phlebovirus species. More than 40 of these viruses were isolated or detected in phlebotomine sandflies and some of them... (Review)
Review
According to ICTV, there are currently 66 known phlebovirus species. More than 40 of these viruses were isolated or detected in phlebotomine sandflies and some of them are known pathogens. In Portugal, information about sandfly-borne phleboviruses is scarce and scattered sandfly-borne diseases are neglected and often not considered in differential diagnoses. The main objective of this work was to gather the existing information and to raise awareness about the circulating phleboviruses in this country. To date, Massilia and Alcube phleboviruses have been isolated from sandflies in southern Portugal. Human infections with Toscana and Sicilian phleboviruses have been reported, as well as seroprevalence in cats and dogs. More studies are needed in order to understand if the viruses isolated during the entomological surveys have an impact on human health and to fully understand the real importance of the already recognized pathogens in our country.
Topics: Animals; Cats; Dogs; Humans; Phlebotomus Fever; Phlebovirus; Portugal; Psychodidae; Seroepidemiologic Studies
PubMed: 36016390
DOI: 10.3390/v14081768 -
Virus Research Mar 2016In order to detect phleboviruses' natural infection in sandflies, an entomological survey was carried out, from May to October in 2007 and 2008, in Arrábida region in...
In order to detect phleboviruses' natural infection in sandflies, an entomological survey was carried out, from May to October in 2007 and 2008, in Arrábida region in the south of Portugal. The isolation of a new phlebovirus was achieved after inoculation of a sandfly pool homogenate in Vero E6 cells. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the complete genome sequences from the Small, Medium and Large, segments obtained with Next Generation sequencing, we can assume that the new phlebovirus, provisionally named Arrabida virus, is closely related to Massilia, Granada and Punique viruses. This is the first isolation of a sandfly-borne phlebovirus from the Sandfly Naples Fever Virus group in Portugal. Further investigation is needed in order to assess the importance of this phlebovirus for Public Health.
Topics: Animals; Computational Biology; Genome, Viral; Geography; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Portugal; Psychodidae; RNA, Viral; Recombination, Genetic; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 26795868
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2016.01.004 -
Journal of Virology Mar 2019Bunyaviruses have a tripartite negative-sense RNA genome. Due to the segmented nature of these viruses, if two closely related viruses coinfect the same host or vector...
Bunyaviruses have a tripartite negative-sense RNA genome. Due to the segmented nature of these viruses, if two closely related viruses coinfect the same host or vector cell, it is possible that RNA segments from either of the two parental viruses will be incorporated into progeny virions to give reassortant viruses. Little is known about the ability of tick-borne phleboviruses to reassort. The present study describes the development of minigenome assays for the tick-borne viruses Uukuniemi phlebovirus (UUKV) and Heartland phlebovirus (HRTV). We used these minigenome assays in conjunction with the existing minigenome system of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) phlebovirus (SFTSV) to assess the abilities of viral N and L proteins to recognize, transcribe, and replicate the M segment-based minigenome of a heterologous virus. The highest minigenome activity was detected with the M segment-based minigenomes of cognate viruses. However, our findings indicate that several combinations utilizing N and L proteins of heterologous viruses resulted in M segment minigenome activity. This suggests that the M segment untranslated regions (UTRs) are recognized as functional promoters of transcription and replication by the N and L proteins of related viruses. Further, virus-like particle assays demonstrated that HRTV glycoproteins can package UUKV and SFTSV S and L segment-based minigenomes. Taken together, these results suggest that coinfection with these viruses could lead to the generation of viable reassortant progeny. Thus, the tools developed in this study could aid in understanding the role of genome reassortment in the evolution of these emerging pathogens in an experimental setting. In recent years, there has been a large expansion in the number of emerging tick-borne viruses that are assigned to the genus. Bunyaviruses have a tripartite segmented genome, and infection of the same host cell by two closely related bunyaviruses can, in theory, result in eight progeny viruses with different genome segment combinations. We used genome analogues expressing reporter genes to assess the abilities of nucleocapsid protein and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to recognize the untranslated region of a genome segment of a related phlebovirus, and we used virus-like particle assays to assess whether viral glycoproteins can package genome analogues of related phleboviruses. Our results provide strong evidence that these emerging pathogens could reassort their genomes if they were to meet in nature in an infected host or vector. This reassortment process could result in viruses with new pathogenic properties.
Topics: Animals; Bunyaviridae Infections; Cell Line; Genome, Viral; Mesocricetus; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Ticks; Viral Nonstructural Proteins
PubMed: 30567991
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02068-18 -
Archives of Virology Mar 2021Tick-borne pathogens are an emerging public health threat worldwide. However, information on tick-borne viruses is scanty in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, by RT-PCR, 363...
Tick-borne pathogens are an emerging public health threat worldwide. However, information on tick-borne viruses is scanty in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, by RT-PCR, 363 ticks (Amblyomma, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus) in the Namwala and Livingstone districts of Zambia were screened for tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs). TBPVs (L gene) were detected in 19 (5.2%) Rhipicephalus ticks in Namwala. All the detected TBPVs were Shibuyunji viruses. Phylogenetically, they were closely related to American dog tick phlebovirus. This study highlights the possible role of Rhipicephalus ticks as the main host of Shibuyunji virus and suggests that these viruses may be present outside the area where they were initially discovered.
Topics: Amblyomma; Animals; Genetic Variation; Phlebotomus Fever; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Rhipicephalus; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Tick-Borne Diseases; Zambia
PubMed: 33475831
DOI: 10.1007/s00705-020-04924-9 -
Viruses Jul 2016The Bunyaviridae represents the largest family of segmented RNA viruses, which infect a staggering diversity of plants, animals, and insects. Within the family... (Review)
Review
The Bunyaviridae represents the largest family of segmented RNA viruses, which infect a staggering diversity of plants, animals, and insects. Within the family Bunyaviridae, the Phlebovirus genus includes several important human and animal pathogens, including Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), Uukuniemi virus (UUKV), and the sandfly fever viruses. The phleboviruses have small tripartite RNA genomes that encode a repertoire of 5-7 proteins. These few proteins accomplish the daunting task of recognizing and specifically packaging a tri-segment complement of viral genomic RNA in the midst of an abundance of host components. The critical nucleation events that eventually lead to virion production begin early on in the host cytoplasm as the first strands of nascent viral RNA (vRNA) are synthesized. The interaction between the vRNA and the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein effectively protects and masks the RNA from the host, and also forms the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) architecture that mediates downstream interactions and drives virion formation. Although the mechanism by which all three genomic counterparts are selectively co-packaged is not completely understood, we are beginning to understand the hierarchy of interactions that begins with N-RNA packaging and culminates in RNP packaging into new virus particles. In this review we focus on recent progress that highlights the molecular basis of RNA genome packaging in the phleboviruses.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Insecta; Nucleocapsid Proteins; Phlebovirus; Plants; RNA, Viral; Virus Assembly
PubMed: 27428993
DOI: 10.3390/v8070194