Usutu virus: A new threat?

Abstract

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging arbovirus that was first isolated in South Africa in 1959. This Flavivirus is maintained in the environment through a typical enzootic cycle involving mosquitoes and birds. USUV has spread to a large part of the European continent over the two decades mainly leading to substantial avian mortalities with a significant recrudescence of bird infections recorded throughout Europe within the few last years. USUV infection in humans is considered to be most often asymptomatic or to cause mild clinical signs. Nonetheless, a few cases of neurological complications such as encephalitis or meningoencephalitis have been reported. USUV and West Nile virus (WNV) share many features, like a close phylogenetic relatedness and a similar ecology, with co-circulation frequently observed in nature. However, USUV has been much less studied and in-depth comparisons of the biology of these viruses are yet rare. In this review, we discuss the main body of knowledge regarding USUV and compare it with the literature on WNV, addressing in particular virological and clinical aspects, and pointing data gaps.

Keywords: Arboviruses; virology; virology (human) and epidemiology.

Fig. 1.

Worldwide USUV distribution. Concerned countries: Austria, Belgium, Burkina-Faso, Central African Republic, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, The Netherlands, Poland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uganda. Symbols indicate in which species USUV has been detected (man, birds, mosquitoes or horses). Method of identification (molecular or serological) is indicated for each species.