Vectoren van het West Nile-virus in Nederland

Om de risico¿s voor de volksgezondheid bij introductie van het West Nile-virus (WNV) goed te kunnen inschatten, is het nodig om te weten in welke inheemse muggen WNV zich kan handhaven. In dit bericht wordt een overzicht gegeven van WNV-vectoren en potentiële risico¿s voor Nederlan

Cis-Preferential Stimulation of Alfalfa Mosaic Virus RNA 3 Accumulation by the Viral Coat Protein

AbstractRNA 3 of alfalfa mosaic virus (AlMV) encodes the movement protein P3 and the viral coat protein (CP) which is translated from the subgenomic RNA 4. RNA 3 is able to replicate in tobacco plants transformed with the AlMV replicase genes P1 and P2 (P12 plants). Frameshifts or deletions in the P3 gene have little effect on RNA 3 accumulation in P12 protoplasts whereas such mutations in the CP gene result in a 100-fold reduction of plus-strand RNA 3 accumulation. When P12 protoplasts were inoculated with a mixture of a RNA 3 mutant with a deletion in the P3 gene and a mutant with a deletion in the CP gene, CP expressed by the P3 mutant was unable to upregulate plus-strand RNA accumulation of the CP mutant. However, when a wild-type CP gene and subgenomic promoter were inserted in a RNA 3 mutant with a defective CP gene, the mutant accumulated at wild-type levels. It is concluded that the function of CP in plus-strand RNA 3 accumulation actsin cisand cannot be complementedin trans.In P12 plants, P3 and CP mutants were able to complement each other at low and variable levels. This complementation in plants appeared to be correlated with the occurrence of recombination to wild-type RNA 3

Laboratory support during and after the Ebola virus endgame: Towards a sustained laboratory infrastructure

The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa is on the brink of entering a second phase in which the (inter)national efforts to slow down virus transmission will be engaged to end the epidemic. The response community must consider the longevity of their current laboratory support, as it is essential that diagnostic capacity in the affected countries be supported beyond the end of the epidemic. The emergency laboratory response should be used to support building structural diagnostic and outbreak surveillance capacity

Cross host transmission in the emergence of MERS coronavirus

Coronaviruses (CoVs) able to infect humans emerge through cross-host transmission from animals. There is substantial evidence that the recent Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoV outbreak is fueled by zoonotic transmission from dromedary camels. This is largely based on the fact that closely related viruses have been isolated from this but not any other animal species. Given the widespread geographical distribution of dromedaries found seropositive for MERS-CoV, continued transmission may likely occur in the future. Therefore, a further understanding of the cross host transmission of MERS-CoV is needed to limit the risks this virus poses to man

Het toenemend belang van infectieziekten die worden overgebracht door vectoren

Dit artikel gaat over de voor Nederland belangrijkste arthropodenvectoren (geleedpotigen, in dit artikel voornamelijk muggen en teken) en de door hen overgebrachte infectieziekten. Daarnaast wordt de rol van landschappelijke aanpassingen, klimaatverandering, intensiever internationaal reizigers- en handelsverkeer en veranderend gedrag met betrekking tot recreatie beschreven. Tenslotte wordt de verdere kennisbehoefte aangegeve

Toscana, West Nile, Usutu and tick-borne encephalitis viruses: external quality assessment for molecular detection of emerging neurotropic viruses in Europe, 2017

BackgroundNeurotropic arboviruses are increasingly recognised as causative agents of neurological disease in Europe but underdiagnosis is still suspected. Capability for accurate diagnosis is a prerequisite for adequate clinical and public health response.AimTo improve diagnostic capability in EVD-La

Urban Chikungunya in the Middle East and North Africa: A systematic review

Background: The epidemiology of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is not well characterized despite increasing recognition of its expanding infection and disease burden in recent years. Methodology / Principal findings: Following Cochrane Collaboration guidelines and reporting our findings following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed records describing the human prevalence and incidence, CHIKV prevalence/infection rates in vectors, outbreaks, and reported cases for CHIKV across the MENA region. We identified 29 human seroprevalence measures, one human incidence study, one study reporting CHIKV infection rates in Aedes, and nine outbreaks and case reports/series reported in the MENA from 1970–2015. Overall, anti-CHIKV antibody or reports of autochthonous transmission were identified from 10 of 23 countries in the MENA region (Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen), with seroprevalence measures among general populations (median 1.0%, range 0–43%) and acute febrile illness populations (median 9.8%, range 0–30%). Sudan reported the highest number of studies (n = 11) and the highest seroprevalence among general populations (median 12%, range 0–43%) and undifferentiated acute febrile illness populations (median 18%, range 10–23%). CHIKV outbreaks were reported from Djibouti, Pakistan, Sudan, and Yemen. Conclusions / Significance: Seroprevalence studies and outbreak reports suggest endemic transmission of urban cycle CHIKV in at least the Red Sea region and Pakistan. However, indications of seroprevalence despite a low quantity of CHIKV epidemiologic research from the region suggests that CHIKV transmission is currently underrecognized

Global status of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in dromedary camels: a systematic review

Dromedary camels have been shown to be the main reservoir for human Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) infections. This systematic review aims to compile and analyse all published data on MERS-coronavirus (CoV) in the global camel population to provide an overview of current knowledge on the distribution, spread and risk factors of infections in dromedary camels. We included original research articles containing laboratory evidence of MERS-CoV infections in dromedary camels in the field from 2013 to April 2018. In general, camels only show minor clinical signs of disease after being infected with MERS-CoV. Serological evidence of MERS-CoV in camels has been found in 20 countries, with molecular evidence for virus circulation in 13 countries. The seroprevalence of MERS-CoV antibodies increases with age in camels, while the prevalence of viral shedding as determined by MERS-CoV RNA detection in nasal swabs decreases. In several studies, camels that were sampled at animal markets or quarantine facilities were seropositive more often than camels at farms as well as imported camels vs. locally bred camels. Some studies show a relatively higher seroprevalence and viral detection during the cooler winter months. Knowledge of the animal reservoir of MERS-CoV is essential to develop intervention and control measures to prevent human infections