West Nile virus and other mosquito-borne viruses present in Eastern Europe

Abstract

Eastern Europe (EE) has been severely affected by mosquito-borne viruses (moboviruses). In this review, we summarize the epidemiology of moboviruses, with particular attention to West Nile virus (WNV). The study of WNV human cases in EE between 2010 and 2016, revealed that the epidemiology of WNV in EE is complex with the combination of introduction of different WNV strains from lineages 1 and 2, and the establishment of endemic cycles. We found a positive correlation between the risk of WNV re-emergence in an area and the number of human cases reported in the previous year. We also report the main ecological and biological characteristics of the key mosquito species vectors of moboviruses. Recent expansion of invasive mosquito species in EE, mainly Aedes albopictus but also Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus, may result in new scenarios with an increased risk of transmission of moboviruses. Main gaps of knowledge in relation to moboviruses and their vectors in EE are identified. Understanding the epidemiology of moboviruses in EE is essential for the improvement of their surveillance and the control of the diseases they cause.

Detection of West Nile virus lineage 2 in North‐Eastern Spain (Catalonia)

“…Even though WNV lineage 2 has caused hundreds of human cases in Eastern and Central/Southern Europe (Napp et al., ), the epidemiological investigation carried out in Catalonia by the Public Health authorities, indicated no increase in cases of non‐specific viral meningitis or encephalitis in humans between May and October 2017 in the province affected. In addition, 211 blood samples from donors collected in that province were tested for WNV IgG and were all negative (Blood and Tissue bank, personal communication).…”

“…However, in 2004, WNV lineage 2 was detected in Hungary in a northern goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis ) with neurological symptoms, the first report of this lineage outside Africa (Bakonyi et al., ). In the following years, WNV lineage 2 spread within Eastern and Central/Southern Europe, where the virus has remained endemic, causing hundreds cases in humans, while cases in horses have been less frequently reported (Hernández‐Triana et al., ; Napp, Petric, & Busquets, ).…”

Multi-Approach Investigation Regarding the West Nile Virus Situation in Hungary, 2018

“…The West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes belonging to the Culex genus. However, there is growing concern in reference to the role of recently expanding invasive Aedes mosquitoes throughout Europe, establishing novel transmission scenarios [5]. The virus is maintained throughout nature in an enzootic cycle among mosquitoes and birds in which birds serve as the amplifying host while mosquitoes serve as vectors.…”

West Nile Virus and Related Flavivirus in European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), Latium Region, Italy: A Retrospective Study

“…The first human encephalitis outbreak on the West Nile was identified in Camargue, France, the Mediterranean area in 1962 [4], in the 1990s other epidemics involved a relatively large number of human cases in Algeria, Tunisia, and Israel. Over recent years, in the Volgograd region in Russia, Hungary, Romania, and Greece, cases of WNV encephalitis have been reported [5]. In 1998, the first outbreak of WNV infection was described in horses in Tuscany, Italy [6].…”