Seroprevalence of Toscana virus in dogs from Corsica, France

Dahmani, Mustapha; Alwassouf, Sulaf; Grech‐Angelini, Sébastien; Marié, Jean-Lou; Davoust, Bernard; Charrel, Rémi N.

doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1665-4

Cited by 20 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The largest amount of data available on dogs, at the outset of this study, concerned TOSV, which observed rates (4.4% in Greece and 8.4% in Cyprus) are in the same order of magnitude as those recently reported in dogs in Tunisia (6.8%, [20]), in Algeria (4.3%, [18]), in France (3.9%, [21]) and in Portugal (6.8% [31]. Because all these studies measured neutralising antibodies against TOSV, their results are comparable and they reflect local circulation of TOSV only, not other viruses belonging to the SFNV complex.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

“…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]. Although virus exposure to viruses may be quantitatively different in humans and dogs, because of different feeding preferences of phlebotomines, recent studies suggest that virus circulation can be estimated using either human or dog sera since dogs live in close proximity to humans and are readily infected by these viruses [15, 18, 20, 21]. In our study, dog sera were tested for the presence of neutralising antibodies against TOSV, SFSV, and two viruses belonging to the Salehabad complex (Arbia virus isolated in Italy and Adana virus isolated in Turkey).…”

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: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Seroprevalence to L. infantum (albeit not statistically significant) increased with age probably associated to a cumulative exposure of older animals to the protozoan [33]. Furthermore, the increased contact with the vectors was likely the reason for the age trend observed for TOSV and SFSV antibodies in previous canine surveys [16, 19]. Although in the present study this trend was not observed, the seroprevalence to both viruses was significantly higher in dogs older than 7 years than in those aged 1 to 7 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serological association between Leishmania infantum and sand fly fever Sicilian (but not Toscana) virus in sheltered dogs from southern Portugal

et al. 2017

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BackgroundPhlebotomine sand fly-borne diseases such as leishmanioses and phleboviruses are emerging threats to animal and public health. Canine leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic zoonosis in Portugal. Antibodies to Toscana virus (TOSV) and sand fly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) were also reported in dogs from the south of the country. The aim of this work was to evaluate a possible association between exposure to L. infantum, TOSV and SFSV in sheltered dogs from the south of Portugal.ResultsSeventy-six (13.1%) out of 581 dogs were seropositive for L. infantum, 327 (56.3%) for SFSV and 36 (6.2%) for TOSV. Six dogs were co-exposed with L. infantum and TOSV, 51 with L. infantum and SFSV and 25 with TOSV and SFSV. One dog had antibodies to the three pathogens. Leishmania infantum seroprevalence was significantly higher in pure breed dogs than in mongrels and in dogs with clinical signs while SFSV positivity was significantly higher in males, in pure and cross-breed dogs than in mongrels and in those not treated with insecticides. Seroprevalence for both viruses was significantly higher in dogs over than 7 years-old than in those aged 1–7. A significant association was observed between the presence of antibodies to L. infantum and SFSV.ConclusionsThe presence of antibodies to several phlebotomine sand fly-borne pathogens in dogs, reinforces the need to implement efficient prophylactic measures to prevent infection among vertebrate hosts including humans. The results also indicate that dogs are good sentinels for assessing human exposure to TOSV and SFSV. Further studies must be performed to elucidate the role of dogs in the dynamics of transmission and if they can play a role as amplifying or reservoir hosts in the natural cycle of these viruses. Public and animal health impacts of these phleboviruses in Portugal should be addressed via serological and virological studies on both phlebotomine sand flies and vertebrate hosts, especially on humans.

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“…Because dogs play a decisive role in the natural cycle of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L) infantum, their role as a possible reservoir host for sandfly-borne phleboviruses has been hypothesized [7,8]. Moreover, high phlebovirus seroprevalence rates in dogs have drawn attention to their possible role in the natural virus transmission cycle [8][9][10][11][12][13]. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that sandflies become infected after biting infected dogs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these issues have not been investigated previously for phleboviruses. Arguably, the domestic dog is a good candidate as a reservoir of TOSV and SFSV in the Old World for several reasons: (i) dogs have a close relationship with humans, (ii) they are the primary reservoir of the sandfly-borne zoonotic protozoan, L. infantum [14], (iii) they are a frequent blood source for sandflies, and (iv) they develop specific neutralizing antibodies against phleboviruses [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15,16]. We experimentally infected dogs with TOSV or SFSV and investigated clinical signs of infection and the presence of virus RNA and/or specific virus antibodies in tissues and body fluids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Infection of Dogs with Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus to Determine Their Potential as Possible Vertebrate Hosts

et al. 2020

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The sandfly-borne Toscana phlebovirus (TOSV), a close relative of the sandfly fever Sicilian phlebovirus (SFSV), is one of the most common causes of acute meningitis or meningoencephalitis in humans in the Mediterranean Basin. However, most of human phlebovirus infections in endemic areas either are asymptomatic or cause mild influenza-like illness. To date, a vertebrate reservoir for sandfly-borne phleboviruses has not been identified. Dogs are a prime target for blood-feeding phlebotomines and are the primary reservoir of human sandfly-borne Leishmania infantum. However, there are no definitive studies to assess whether dogs play a significant role as a reservoir host for human phlebovirus survival in the environment. Here, we have evaluated the susceptibility of domestic dogs to infection by TOSV and SFSV following the direct inoculation of the infectious virus. After experimental infection, the presence of viral RNA was investigated in plasma, urine, saliva, conjunctiva, faeces, semen, and bone marrow samples from 0 to 91 days postinoculation (dpi), as well as in plasma, saliva, and tears samples at 760 dpi. None of the challenged dogs developed clinical signs of infection with either TOSV or SFSV. SFSV RNA was never detected. TOSV RNA was not in any of the specimen types, except for plasma samples that showed low viral loads, although irregularly. None of the dogs developed detectable neutralizing antibodies after a single challenge dose of either TOSV or SFSV. However, a second challenge dose of virus given 56 days later elicited neutralizing antibodies, implying that the first inoculation of virus primed the animals for an anamnestic response following the second challenge. These results demonstrated that healthy domestic dogs are not highly susceptible to infection by TOSV or SFSV and do not develop significant viremia or excrete virus following infection. Consequently, dogs are unlikely natural reservoir hosts of infection and do not appear to play a significant role in phlebovirus transmission cycles.

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Seroprevalence of Toscana virus in dogs from Corsica, France

Cited by 20 publications

References 21 publications

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

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

Serological association between Leishmania infantum and sand fly fever Sicilian (but not Toscana) virus in sheltered dogs from southern Portugal

Experimental Infection of Dogs with Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus to Determine Their Potential as Possible Vertebrate Hosts

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