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Protein & Cell Dec 2023
Topics: Humans; Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome; Phlebovirus
PubMed: 37038326
DOI: 10.1093/procel/pwad019 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Mar 2016Many studies have presented virus sequences which suggest the existence of a variety of putative new phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies in the Old World. However, in...
BACKGROUND
Many studies have presented virus sequences which suggest the existence of a variety of putative new phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies in the Old World. However, in most of these studies, only partial sequences in the polymerase or the nucleoprotein genes were characterised. Therefore to further our understand of the presence and potential medical importance of sandfly-borne phleboviruses that circulate in southern Anatolia, we initiated field campaigns in 2012 and 2013 designed to identify, isolate and characterise phleboviruses in sandflies in this region.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
An entomological investigation encompassing 8 villages in Adana, Mediterranean Turkey was performed in August and September 2012 and 2013. A total of 11,302 sandflies were collected and grouped into 797 pools which were tested for the presence of phleboviruses using specific primers for RT-PCR analysis and also cell culture methods for virus isolation. Seven pools were PCR positive, and viruses were isolated from three pools of sandflies, resulting in the identification of two new viruses that we named Zerdali virus and Toros virus. Phylogenetic analysis based on full-length genomic sequence showed that Zerdali virus was most closely related with Tehran virus (and belongs to the Sandfly fever Naples species), whereas Toros virus was closest to Corfou virus.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE
The results indicate that a variety of phleboviruses are co-circulating in this region of southern Anatolia. Based on our studies, these new viruses clearly belong to genetic groups that include several human pathogens. However, whether or not Toros and Zerdali viruses can infect humans and cause diseases such as sandfly fever remains to be investigated.
Topics: Animals; Female; Genome, Viral; Genotype; Insect Vectors; Male; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Psychodidae; Sandfly fever Naples virus; Turkey
PubMed: 27007326
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004519 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Mar 2016Many phleboviruses (family Bunyaviridae) are emerging as medically important viruses. These viruses enter target cells by endocytosis and low pH-dependent membrane...
Many phleboviruses (family Bunyaviridae) are emerging as medically important viruses. These viruses enter target cells by endocytosis and low pH-dependent membrane fusion in late endosomes. However, the necessary and sufficient factors for fusion have not been fully characterized. We have studied the minimal fusion requirements of a prototypic phlebovirus, Uukuniemi virus, in an in vitro virus-liposome assay. We show that efficient lipid mixing between viral and liposome membranes requires close to physiological temperatures and phospholipids with negatively charged headgroups, such as the late endosomal phospholipid bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate. We further demonstrate that bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate increases Uukuniemi virus fusion beyond the lipid mixing stage. By using electron cryotomography of viral particles in the presence or absence of liposomes, we observed that the conformation of phlebovirus glycoprotein capsomers changes from the native conformation toward a more elongated conformation at a fusion permissive pH. Our results suggest a rationale for phlebovirus entry in late endosomes.
Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Cricetinae; Glycoproteins; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Liposomes; Lysophospholipids; Monoglycerides; Phlebovirus; Viral Proteins; Virus Internalization
PubMed: 26811337
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M115.691113 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases May 2021We describe a series of severe neuroinvasive infections caused by Toscana virus, identified by real-time reverse transcription PCR testing, in 8 hospitalized patients in...
We describe a series of severe neuroinvasive infections caused by Toscana virus, identified by real-time reverse transcription PCR testing, in 8 hospitalized patients in Bucharest, Romania, during the summer seasons of 2017 and 2018. Of 8 patients, 5 died. Sequencing showed that the circulating virus belonged to lineage A.
Topics: Bunyaviridae Infections; Humans; Romania; Sandfly fever Naples virus
PubMed: 33900182
DOI: 10.3201/eid2705.204598 -
BioMed Research International 2022Phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies are among emerging public health threats. A novel named Ntepes virus (NTPV) was recently described and found to infect humans...
Phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies are among emerging public health threats. A novel named Ntepes virus (NTPV) was recently described and found to infect humans from a wide geographic area in Kenya. However, the entomologic risk factors of this virus such as the potential vectors and the transmission cycles remain poorly defined. This study assessed the ability of the colonized sandfly to transmit NTPV and determined the bloodmeal host sources of field-collected sandflies from the area where NTPV was found in Baringo County, Kenya. Five-day old laboratory-reared were orally challenged with an infectious dose of NTPV (≈10 pfu/ml) and incubated for up to 15 days postinfection. Individual sandflies were dissected into abdomens, legs, and salivary glands and screened for the virus infection by cell culture. Of the 205 virus-exposed sandflies, 19.5% developed non-disseminated infections in the midgut, with no evidence of virus dissemination or transmission in legs and salivary glands, respectively. The midgut infection rates decreased with increasing extrinsic incubation period (Spearman's correlation, = -0.71). Blood-fed specimens analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of a region of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, revealed almost exclusive feeding on humans (98%) represented by the sandflies , , and One specimen of had fed on cattle (2%). These findings suggest is an incompetent laboratory vector of NTPV. The high human-feeding rate by diverse sandfly species increases the likelihood of human exposure to pathogens associated with these sandflies. Assessment of the susceptibility of species to NTPV is recommended given their high human-feeding tendency.
Topics: Humans; Cattle; Animals; Phlebotomus; Psychodidae; Phlebovirus; Kenya; Habits
PubMed: 36312854
DOI: 10.1155/2022/4231978 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Sep 2023Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), an etiological agent causing febrile human disease was identified as an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus. The...
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), an etiological agent causing febrile human disease was identified as an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus. The clinical disease characteristics and case fatality rates of SFTSV may vary across distinct regions and among different variant genotypes. From 2018 to 2022, we surveyed and recruited 202 severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) patients in Hubei Province, a high-incidence area of the epidemic, and conducted timely and systematic research on the disease characteristics, SFTSV diversity, and the correlation between virus genome variation and clinical diseases. Our study identified at least 6 genotypes of SFTSV prevalent in Hubei Province based on the analysis of the S, M, and L genome sequences of 88 virus strains. Strikingly, the dominant genotype of SFTSV was found to change during the years, indicating a dynamic shift in viral genetic diversity in the region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the genetic exchange of Hubei SFTSV strains was relatively frequent, including 3 reassortment strains and 8 recombination strains. Despite the limited sample size, SFTSV C1 genotype may be associated with higher mortality compared to the other four genotypes, and the serum amyloid A (SAA) level, an inflammatory biomarker, was significantly elevated in these patients. Overall, our data summarize the disease characteristics of SFTSV in Hubei Province, highlight the profound changes in viral genetic diversity, and indicate the need for in-depth monitoring and exploration of the relationship between viral mutations and disease severity.
Topics: Humans; Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome; Bunyaviridae Infections; Phylogeny; Phlebovirus; China; Genetic Variation
PubMed: 37721962
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011654 -
Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift Fur... Nov 2018A 45-year-old woman presented at the outpatient department of a center for tropical diseases with fever, diarrhea, headache, myalgia, malaise, and an itchy papular... (Review)
Review
A 45-year-old woman presented at the outpatient department of a center for tropical diseases with fever, diarrhea, headache, myalgia, malaise, and an itchy papular rash. She had been on holiday with her family for 11 days in a mountain village in northern Cyprus. The place was infested with a lot of small, stinging flies or mosquitoes. She and her family became sick after they returned home. The physical examination was normal apart from the rash on the inside of the extremities. Significantly elevated transaminases and a slightly increased C‑reactive protein level were found in the blood examination. Considering the country of travel, the report of the "stinging flies" and the clinical presentation, sandfly fever was also taken into account as a differential diagnosis for the hepatitis. Antibodies to the sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) were detected. They showed the typical dynamics during the course of the illness and thus "pappataci fever" was diagnosed. The case report and a short review of up-to-date literature is meant encourage consideration of phlebovirus infection as a possible differential diagnosis in travelers or refugees suffering from severe febrile hepatitis and rash or aseptic viral meningitis after their stay in the Mediterranean area.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Viral; Diagnosis, Differential; Exanthema; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Phlebotomus Fever; Phlebovirus; Travel
PubMed: 30151597
DOI: 10.1007/s00105-018-4251-1 -
Viruses Nov 2021The article from Xu et al. [...].
The article from Xu et al. [...].
Topics: Animals; China; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Psychodidae
PubMed: 34960666
DOI: 10.3390/v13122397 -
Bulletin de La Societe de Pathologie... Aug 2016Sandflies are vectors of protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. To investigate the transmission of phleboviruses, a total of 8753 sandflies were collected in four foci of...
Sandflies are vectors of protozoa, viruses, and bacteria. To investigate the transmission of phleboviruses, a total of 8753 sandflies were collected in four foci of leishmania. A total of 16 distinct species were morphologically identified. Nested-PCR and cell culture screening for phleboviruses, using an assay targeting the polymerase gene, showed positive results for 19 pools of sandflies. Sequencing of the corresponding products confirmed the results and allowed identification of Toscana virus exclusively. Corresponding sandfly species originated from four different foci, and were different from those commonly reported in the literature. Sequence analysis shows that the Moroccan Toscana viruses belong to genotype B and appear close to the Toscana viruses isolated in France and Spain. This study reported the existence of the virus in the north, center and south of the country. The abundance and diversity of sandflies in Morocco, Mediterranean climate, would support the continuous circulation of Toscana virus in our country, posing a potential risk of emergence of these arboviruses.
Topics: Animals; Bunyaviridae Infections; Chlorocebus aethiops; DNA, Viral; Disease Reservoirs; Genotype; Humans; Insect Vectors; Molecular Epidemiology; Morocco; Phlebotomus; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Vero Cells
PubMed: 27193286
DOI: 10.1007/s13149-016-0498-x -
MSphere Jun 2018The recent emergence of novel tick-borne RNA viruses has complicated the epidemiological landscape of tick-borne infectious diseases, posing a significant challenge to...
The recent emergence of novel tick-borne RNA viruses has complicated the epidemiological landscape of tick-borne infectious diseases, posing a significant challenge to public health systems that seek to counteract tick-borne diseases. The identification of two novel tick-borne phleboviruses (TBPVs), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) and Heartland virus (HRTV), as causative agents of severe illness in humans has accelerated the investigation and discoveries of novel TBPVs. In the present study, we isolated a novel TBPV designated Mukawa virus (MKWV) from host-questing females captured in Japan. Genetic characterization revealed that MKWV is a member of the genus in the family Interestingly, MKWV is genetically distinct from other known TBPVs and shares a most recent common ancestor with mosquito/sandfly-borne (insect-borne) phleboviruses. Despite its genetic similarity to insect-borne phleboviruses, the molecular footprints of its viral proteins and its biological characteristics define MKWV as a tick-borne virus that can be transmitted to mammals. A phylogenetic ancestral-state reconstruction for arthropod vectors of phleboviruses including MKWV based on viral L segment sequences indicated that ticks likely harbored ancestral phleboviruses that evolved into both the tick-borne and MKWV/insect-borne phlebovirus lineages. Overall, our findings suggest that most of the phlebovirus evolution has occurred in hard ticks to generate divergent viruses, which may provide a seminal foundation for understanding the mechanisms underlying the evolution and emergence of pathogenic phleboviruses, such as Rift Valley fever virus and SFTSV/HRTV. The emergence of novel tick-borne RNA viruses causing severe illness in humans has complicated the epidemiological landscape of tick-borne diseases, requiring further investigation to safeguard public health. In the present study, we discovered a novel tick-borne phlebovirus from ticks in Japan. While its viral RNA genome sequences were similar to those of mosquito/sandfly-borne viruses, molecular and biological footprints confirmed that this is a tick-borne virus. The unique evolutionary position of the virus allowed us to estimate the ancestral phlebovirus vector, which was likely a hard tick. Our findings may provide a better understanding of the evolution and emergence of phleboviruses associated with emerging infectious diseases, such as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and Heartland virus disease.
Topics: Animals; Evolution, Molecular; Female; Ixodes; Japan; Phlebovirus; Phylogeny
PubMed: 29898985
DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00239-18