Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic Infections, University of Montpellier,Inserm, EFS, Montpellier,France.
UPE, Anses Animal Health Laboratory,UMR1161 Virology, INRA, Anses, ENVA, Maisons-Alfort,France.
Epidemiol Infect. 2019 Jan;147:e232. doi: 10.1017/S0950268819001213.
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.
乌舒拉病毒（USUV）是一种新兴的虫媒病毒，于 1959 年首次在南非分离得到。该黄病毒通过涉及蚊子和鸟类的典型地方病循环在环境中维持。在过去的二十年中，USUV 已传播到欧洲大陆的大部分地区，主要导致大量鸟类死亡，而在过去几年中，整个欧洲记录到鸟类感染的显著复发。人类感染 USUV 通常被认为是无症状的，或仅引起轻微的临床症状。然而，已有少数报道称出现了神经并发症，如脑炎或脑膜脑炎。USUV 和西尼罗河病毒（WNV）具有许多相似之处，如密切的系统发育关系和相似的生态，在自然界中经常观察到它们的共同循环。然而，USUV 的研究较少，对这些病毒的生物学的深入比较也很少。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了有关 USUV 的主要知识体系，并将其与 WNV 的文献进行了比较，特别讨论了病毒学和临床方面，并指出了数据空白。
