Retrospective screening of solid organ donors in Italy, 2009, reveals unpredicted circulation of West Nile virus

Abstract

Since the occurrence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans in 2008 in Italy, concerns have been raised about the potential risks associated with solid organ transplantation (SOT). A nationwide retrospective survey showed that 1.2% of SOT donors in 2009 were WNV-seropositive and demonstrated that human WNV infection is distributed throughout several Italian regions. Transmission of WNV or other arboviruses through SOT is a possibility and risk assessment should be carried out before SOT to avoid infection through transplantation.

Prevalence of IgM and IgG antibodies to West Nile virus among blood donors in an affected area of north-eastern Italy, summer 2009

“…A retrospective screening of solid organ donors in several Italian regions found a higher prevalence of anti-WNV antibodies than the present study on blood donors [30]. This discrepancy could be accounted for by differences in target populations and sampling strategies as well as laboratory methods used for testing and for confirmation of positive results.…”

West Nile virus: the need to strengthen preparedness in Europe

“…Also, reports of sporadic cases from several regions in Hungary during previous years indicate that WNV activity is widely distributed throughout this country and not limited to a single focus [7]. A recent study in Italy linked to infected organ donors [8] draws the same conclusion, that the virus is being transmitted in areas previously thought to not be at risk or affected. Furthermore, the case report in this issue of a Dutch traveller returning from Israel with WN infection highlights the need for awareness among physicians and laboratory staff to consider WNV infections as a differential diagnosis in cases where patients return from areas where they may have been exposed to the virus [9].…”

Heterogeneity of West Nile virus genotype 1a in Italy, 2011

“…regions (Veneto, Lombardia), with occurrence of several human cases (Rizzo et al, 2009;Calistri et al, 2010b;Capobianchi et al, 2010). On the basis of phylogenetic analyses, the WNV strains responsible for the Italian outbreaks in 2008-2009 belonged to lineage 1 and constituted a distinct monophyletic group within the WMed cluster (Rossini et al, 2011).…”