Department of Virology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Group for Medical Entomology, Centre of Excellence for Food- and Vector-Borne Zoonoses, Institute for Medical Research, National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
J Med Virol. 2024 Dec;96(12):e70092. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70092.
West Nile Virus (WNV) is considered one of the most widely distributed arboviruses worldwide. In 2018, Serbia was among the European countries reporting the highest number of WNV cases. This study aimed to characterize WNV strains circulating in Serbia, and to estimate the pathways and dynamics of WNV-2 spread in the Balkans and globally through the phylogenetic approach. Fifty newly generated NS5 Serbian sequences were found to belong to WNV lineage 2. Phylodynamic analyses of the Balkan clade indicated the potential for an increase in genetic diversity and structure of virus populations. Presented phylogeographic analyses implied four instances of long-distance WNV-2 migration from Africa to Europe, during the 1940s to 1950s, while further dissemination of WNV-2 originated in Hungary in mid-1970s and subsequently spread to Austria and Serbia. Extensive dispersion took place during the 1990s-2000s, as the virus spread from Austria to central and western Europe, and from Hungary to the Balkans. Continuous phylogeography analysis of the Balkans WNV-2 clade implied the central role of Serbia for WNV dissemination across the Balkan peninsula. Furthermore, previously undocumented instance of intercontinental migration of WNV-2 from Europe to Asia was implied. In-depth phylogenetic investigation into the global distribution of WNV-2 may provide valuable insights into the prediction and prevention of potential epidemics.
西尼罗河病毒（WNV）被认为是世界上分布最广泛的虫媒病毒之一。2018 年，塞尔维亚是报告 WNV 病例最多的欧洲国家之一。本研究旨在描述塞尔维亚流行的 WNV 株，通过系统发育方法估计 B 亚群和全球范围内 WNV-2 的传播途径和动态。新生成的 50 个 NS5 塞尔维亚序列属于 WNV 谱系 2。巴尔干分支的系统发育分析表明病毒种群的遗传多样性和结构有增加的潜力。提出的系统地理学分析表明，WNV-2 从非洲到欧洲有四次长距离迁移，发生在 20 世纪 40 年代至 50 年代，而 WNV-2 的进一步传播起源于 20 世纪 70 年代中期的匈牙利，随后传播到奥地利和塞尔维亚。20 世纪 90 年代至 21 世纪初，病毒从奥地利传播到中欧和西欧，从匈牙利传播到巴尔干地区，广泛传播。对巴尔干地区 WNV-2 分支的连续系统地理学分析表明，塞尔维亚在 WNV 向巴尔干半岛的传播中发挥了核心作用。此外，还暗示了 WNV-2 从欧洲到亚洲的洲际迁移的先前未记录的实例。对 WNV-2 的全球分布进行深入的系统发育研究，可能为预测和预防潜在的流行提供有价值的见解。
