Le virus Usutu : la menace fantôme

Clé, Marion; Salinas, Sara; Lecollinet, Sylvie; Beck, Cécile; Gutiérrez, Serafín; Baldet, Thierry; Perre, Philippe Vande; Foulongne, Vincent; Simonin, Yannick

doi:10.1051/medsci/20183408018

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The first human cases of USUV infection were described in Central African Republic and Burkina Faso in the 1980s and in 2004, respectively, with mild symptoms such as fever and rash [2]. To date, a total of 28 acute USUV infections have been reported in humans [73], including some serious complications such as meningoencephalitis [28,74] and facial paralysis [75]. Seroprevalence studies suggested that USUV infections in humans may have been largely underestimated, and many of them may be asymptomatic.…”

Section: Human Clinical Cases and Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Usutu Virus: An Arbovirus on the Rise

Roesch

Fajardo

Moratorio

et al. 2019

Viruses

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The Usutu virus (USUV) is a flavivirus that is drawing increasing attention because of its potential for emergence. First isolated in Africa, it was introduced into Europe where it caused significant outbreaks in birds, such as in Austria in 2001. Since then, its geographical distribution has rapidly expanded, with increased circulation, especially in the last few years. Similar to West Nile virus (WNV), the USUV enzootic transmission cycle involves Culex mosquitoes as vectors, and birds as amplifying reservoir hosts, with humans and other mammals likely being dead-end hosts. A similarity in the ecology of these two viruses, which co-circulate in several European countries, highlights USUV’s potential to become an important human pathogen. While USUV has had a severe impact on the blackbird population, the number of human cases remains low, with most infections being asymptomatic. However, some rare cases of neurological disease have been described, both in healthy and immuno-compromised patients. Here, we will discuss the transmission dynamics and the current state of USUV circulation in Europe.

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Section: Human Clinical Cases and Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Usutu Virus: An Arbovirus on the Rise

Roesch

Fajardo

Moratorio

et al. 2019

Viruses

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“…Usutu (USUV) and West Nile (WNV) viruses are arboviruses that are phylogenetically closely related, belonging to the Japanese encephalitis (JEV) serocomplex of the Flaviviridae family and the Flavivirus genus [ 1 , 2 ]. These viruses have a complex transmission cycle involving different species of birds as amplifying hosts, Culex mosquitoes as main vectors, and humans, horses, and other mammals as incidental hosts [ 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These two viruses have long been considered viruses of African interest, given that they circulated originally in Africa, prior to their introduction to Europe and other continents. Major USUV epizootics affecting avifauna, associated with a large epidemic of WNV, were demonstrated in Europe in 2016 and in 2018 [ 2 ]. Although most USUV and WNV infections are asymptomatic, some patients experience symptoms ranging from febrile syndrome to neurological complications such as meningitis, meningoencephalitis, and encephalitis [ 7 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Screening of Circulation of Usutu and West Nile Viruses: A One Health Approach in Humans, Domestic Animals and Mosquitoes in Burkina Faso, West Africa

et al. 2022

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Usutu virus (USUV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are phylogenetically closely related arboviruses. These viruses mainly follow an enzootic cycle involving mosquitoes and birds, but they occasionally infect humans and other mammals, inducing neurotropic disorders. Since the discovery of USUV, only two human cases have been reported in Africa, including one in Burkina Faso in 2004. Since then, no studies have been conducted to measure the extent of the circulation of this virus in Burkina Faso, and no study regarding the circulation of WNV has been conducted. Our study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of USUV and WNV in blood donations and in animals (horses, dogs, chickens and pigeons) and to perform molecular screening in patients with febrile fever and in Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The prevalence of USUV and WNV was studied by serological (ELISA and microneutralization tests) and molecular analyses (RT-qPCR) of mosquito, dog, domestic bird, horse, and human samples in Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2021. We detected a very active transmission of both viruses in Burkina Faso. WNV and USUV seroprevalence is particularly high in humans (19.16% and 14.17%, respectively) and horses (17.28% and 6.17%). Molecular screening did not detect WNV or USUV in the mosquito or human samples tested. Our study shows an active spread of USUV and WNV in Burkina Faso, especially for WNV. This study highlights the value of developing surveillance programs to better prevent, detect, and alert people to USUV and WNV circulation in both primary and incidental hosts.

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“…Rare cases with mild flu-like illness or neuroinvasive disease may, however, occur due to USUV infection. Between 2009 and 2018, more than 32 USUV symptomatic infections were reported in humans [14][15][16], including cases with meningoencephalitis [14,15,[17][18][19]. Signs like headache, fever, nuchal rigidity, hand tremor, hyperreflexia [19], and facial paralysis [20] were described.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usutu Virus Infection of Embryonated Chicken Eggs and a Chicken Embryo-Derived Primary Cell Line

Benzarti

Rivas

Sarlet

et al. 2020

Viruses

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Usutu virus (USUV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, closely related to the West Nile virus (WNV). Similar to WNV, USUV may cause infections in humans, with occasional, but sometimes severe, neurological complications. Further, USUV can be highly pathogenic in wild and captive birds and its circulation in Europe has given rise to substantial avian death. Adequate study models of this virus are still lacking but are critically needed to understand its pathogenesis and virulence spectrum. The chicken embryo is a low-cost, easy-to-manipulate and ethically acceptable model that closely reflects mammalian fetal development and allows immune response investigations, drug screening, and high-throughput virus production for vaccine development. While former studies suggested that this model was refractory to USUV infection, we unexpectedly found that high doses of four phylogenetically distinct USUV strains caused embryonic lethality. By employing immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we demonstrated that USUV was widely distributed in embryonic tissues, including the brain, retina, and feather follicles. We then successfully developed a primary cell line from the chorioallantoic membrane that was permissive to the virus without the need for viral adaptation. We believe the future use of these models would foster a significant understanding of USUV-induced neuropathogenesis and immune response and allow the future development of drugs and vaccines against USUV.

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Le virus Usutu : la menace fantôme

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Usutu Virus: An Arbovirus on the Rise

Usutu Virus: An Arbovirus on the Rise

Screening of Circulation of Usutu and West Nile Viruses: A One Health Approach in Humans, Domestic Animals and Mosquitoes in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Usutu Virus Infection of Embryonated Chicken Eggs and a Chicken Embryo-Derived Primary Cell Line

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