Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology Unit, Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Sihhiye, Ankara, Turkey.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2012 Mar;59(2):148-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2011.01436.x. Epub 2011 Sep 14.
Toscana virus (TOSV), a sandfly fever virus serotype of medical and public health importance, is a major pathogen involved in aseptic meningtis occurring in Mediterranean countries and poses a threat to the residents as well as travellers. Limited data on TOSV activity are present from Turkey despite being located in the endemic zone. We aimed to identify TOSV exposure in 1115 healthy blood donors at the Hacettepe University Hospital Blood Bank in Ankara, Turkey, using commercial indirect fluorescence assays (IFAs) and virus neutralization test (VNT) for antibody detection and specificity confirmation. A total of 199 samples (17.8%) were positive for anti-TOSV that include IgG reactivity in 10.4%, IgM reactivity in 8.2% and IgM + IgG reactivity in 0.7% of the sera. Anti-TOSV specificity could be confirmed via VNT in 56% of the IgG- and 43.6% of the IgM-positive sera, making up a total of 58 samples (5.2%). Risk factors associated with TOSV IgG reactivity were male gender, residing in rural areas, frequent sighting of mosquitoes/sandflies and working outdoors. TOSV-specific antibody prevalence increased significantly with age. Evidence of exposure to other sandfly fever viruses was noted. These data reveal that mild or asymptomatic infections with TOSV are frequent in central and northern Anatolia. TOSV exposure has also been identified in residents of 9 provinces in southern/southeastern Anatolia for the first time.
托斯卡纳病毒（TOSV）是一种沙蝇热病毒血清型，具有重要的医学和公共卫生意义，是导致地中海国家发生无菌性脑膜炎的主要病原体之一，对当地居民和旅行者构成威胁。尽管土耳其位于流行地区，但有关 TOSV 活动的数据有限。我们旨在通过使用商业间接荧光测定法（IFA）和病毒中和试验（VNT）检测抗体来识别 1115 名在安卡拉哈塞泰佩大学医院血库的健康献血者中 TOSV 的暴露情况，并确认其特异性。共有 199 份（17.8%）血清样本对 TOSV 呈阳性，其中包括 10.4%的 IgG 反应性、8.2%的 IgM 反应性和 0.7%的 IgM+IgG 反应性。通过 VNT 可在 56%的 IgG 和 43.6%的 IgM 阳性血清中确认抗 TOSV 的特异性，总共有 58 份（5.2%）血清。与 TOSV IgG 反应性相关的危险因素包括男性、居住在农村地区、经常看到蚊子/沙蝇和户外工作。TOSV 特异性抗体的流行率随年龄显著增加。还发现了对其他沙蝇热病毒的暴露证据。这些数据表明，TOSV 的轻度或无症状感染在安纳托利亚中部和北部很常见。首次在安纳托利亚南部/东南部的 9 个省份的居民中发现了 TOSV 的暴露。
