Regional Reference Centre for Microbiological Emergencies (CRREM), Unit of Clinical Microbiology, St Orsola University Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
National Institute for Infectious Diseases (INMI) 'L. Spallanzani', Rome, Italy.
J Gen Virol. 2013 Feb;94(Pt 2):314-317. doi: 10.1099/vir.0.046235-0. Epub 2012 Nov 7.
West Nile virus (WNV) is currently circulating in several European countries and, over recent decades, concomitantly with enhanced surveillance studies and improved diagnostic capabilities, an increase in the geographical distribution and in the number of cases in Europe has been documented. In Italy in 2011, 14 human cases of WNV neuroinvasive infections due to lineage 1 strains were registered in several Italian regions. Here we report WNV partial sequences obtained from serum samples of two patients living in different regions of Italy (Veneto and Sardinia). Phylogenetic analysis, performed on a fragment (566 nt) of the envelope gene, showed that WNV strains circulating in Italy in 2011 belong to lineage 1a, but are different from lineage 1a strains isolated in 2008-2009.The data reported here are consistent with the hypothesis of multiple recent introductions of WNV lineage 1a strains into Italy.
西尼罗河病毒（WNV）目前在几个欧洲国家流行，近年来，随着监测研究的加强和诊断能力的提高，WNV 在欧洲的地理分布和病例数量都有所增加。2011 年，意大利有 14 例人类感染 WNV 引起的神经侵袭性感染，这些病例分布在意大利的几个地区。本文报告了从居住在意大利不同地区（威尼托和撒丁岛）的两名患者的血清样本中获得的 WNV 部分序列。对包膜基因的一个片段（566 个核苷酸）进行的系统进化分析表明，2011 年在意大利流行的 WNV 株属于 1a 谱系，但与 2008-2009 年分离的 1a 谱系株不同。本文报道的这些数据与WNV1a 谱系株多次近期传入意大利的假说一致。
