Prevalence of antibodies to phleboviruses within the sand fly fever Naples virus species in humans, northern Greece

Anagnostou, Vassiliki; Papa, Anna

doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03957.x

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…At the outset of our study, the following data were available for Greece: (i) there was no serological data in domestic animals (cattle, goats, sheep, dogs or cats) for any phlebovirus transmitted by sand flies, (ii) in the 1970's, 13.1% of 38 adults living in Crete had NT-Abs against Naples virus, and 24.7% and 8.5% of 632 human sera from Athens inhabitants had NT-Abs against Naples virus and Sicilian virus, respectively [29]; (iii) more recent studies reported various rates of TOSV IgG using ELISA and/or IIF tests in continental Greece as well as in the Ionian and Aegean islands [8–10]; (iv) TOSV RNA (belonging to the lineage C) was detected in the CSF of a patient with meningitis [11], and (v) viral RNA corresponding to Adria virus, a novel virus belonging to the Salehabad species, was also identified in the CSF of a patient with meningitis [12, 13]. To date, SFSV or another SFS-like virus have been neither isolated nor detected by molecular techniques in Greece.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sandfly fever has been described in Cyprus and Greece with both sporadic cases and epidemics [3–7]. In both countries, the high rates of antibodies observed in seroprevalence studies indicate that viruses belonging to Sandfly fever Naples and Sandfly fever Sicilian serocomplexes are transmitted by local sand flies to human populations [7–10]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because several viruses of the same serocomplex co-circulate in various regions, interpretation of seroprevalence studies requires using techniques that hold the capacity to discriminate between these antigenically-related viruses. To the best of our knowledge, all studies performed in Greece and Cyprus used either ELISA or IFA tests, which are notoriously prone to cross-reactivity between viruses belonging to the same serocomplex [7–10]. To conduct our nation-wide (mainland Greece, Greek islands, Cyprus) seroprevalence study in dogs, we selected neutralisation tests which is the most discriminant assay as previously reported in Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey and Portugal [15, 18–20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence of Sandfly‐Borne Phleboviruses Belonging to Three Serocomplexes (Sandfly fever Naples, Sandfly fever Sicilian and Salehabad) in Dogs from Greece and Cyprus Using Neutralization Test

Alwassouf

Christodoulou²,

Bichaud

et al. 2016

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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Phleboviruses transmitted by sandflies are endemic in the Mediterranean area. The last decade has witnessed the description of an accumulating number of novel viruses. Although, the risk of exposure of vertebrates is globally assessed, detailed geographic knowledge is poor even in Greece and Cyprus where sandfly fever has been recognized for a long time and repeatedly. A total of 1,250 dogs from mainland Greece and Greek archipelago on one hand and 422 dogs from Cyprus on the other hand have been sampled and tested for neutralising antibodies against Toscana virus (TOSV), Sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), Arbia virus, and Adana virus i.e. four viruses belonging to the 3 sandfly-borne serocomplexes known to circulate actively in the Mediterranean area. Our results showed that (i) SFSV is highly prevalent with 71.9% (50.7–84.9% depending on the region) in Greece and 60.2% (40.0–72.6%) in Cyprus; (ii) TOSV ranked second with 4.4% (0–15.4%) in Greece and 8.4% (0–11.4%) in Cyprus; (iii) Salehabad viruses (Arbia and Adana) displayed also substantial prevalence rates in both countries with values ranging from 0–22.6% depending on the region and on the virus strain used in the test. These results demonstrate that circulation of viruses transmitted by sand flies can be estimated qualitatively using dog sera. As reported in other regions of the Mediterranean, these results indicate that it is time to shift these viruses from the "neglected" status to the "priority" status in order to stimulate studies aiming at defining and quantifying their medical and veterinary importance and possible public health impact. Specifically, viruses belonging to the Sandfly fever Sicilian complex should be given careful consideration. This calls for implementation of direct and indirect diagnosis in National reference centers and in hospital microbiology laboratories and systematic testing of unelucidated febrile illness and central and peripheral nervous system febrile manifestations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence of Sandfly‐Borne Phleboviruses Belonging to Three Serocomplexes (Sandfly fever Naples, Sandfly fever Sicilian and Salehabad) in Dogs from Greece and Cyprus Using Neutralization Test

Alwassouf

Christodoulou²,

Bichaud

et al. 2016

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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“…Recent studies in the Greek population have shown that the prevalence of IgG antibodies against TOSV or antigenically related phlebovirus(es) is high (up to 50%), especially on the islands and coastal areas of the mainland [6,7,8]. A TOSV seroconversion was reported in 1993 in a German traveler returning from Greece [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroinvasive Phlebovirus Infection in Greece: A Case Report

et al. 2014

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Objective: Sandfly fever phleboviruses are endemic in Mediterranean countries. We report a febrile phlebovirus case in a Greek patient who presented signs of neuroinvasive infection. Methods: In summer 2010, a 20-year-old male was admitted to hospital with fever and lethargy; he was a resident of central Macedonia, northern Greece, where a large outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) infections occurred at that time. Since there was no laboratory evidence of WNV infection, the patient's serum and cerebrospinal fluid were tested for a probable phlebovirus infection. Results: High titers of IgM and IgG antibodies against Toscana virus were detected in serum and cerebrospinal fluid, while the titers against sandfly fever Naples virus were lower; no reactivity was detected against sandfly Sicilian and Cyprus viruses. Since neutralization assays were not performed and PCR resulted in being negative, it was concluded that the causative agent was a phlebovirus of the sandfly fever Naples serocomplex. Conclusion: The present case confirms results from previous seroprevalence studies showing that phleboviruses of the sandfly fever Naples serocomplex are present in Greece and provides evidence that they cause febrile neuroinvasive disease in humans, prompting for inclusion of phleboviral infections in the differential diagnosis of acute febrile cases during the time when sandflies are active.

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“…Among these, TOSV is associated with neurotropism, a major cause of meningitis and encephalitis in the Mediterranean region ( 4 ). Recent studies in Greece showed that the seroprevalence of TOSV (and antigenically related viruses) ranges from 0% to 60%; the higher levels are found in the islands and the coastal regions ( 5 – 7 ). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%