First report of Ixodes frontalis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Finland, an example of foreign tick species transported by a migratory bird

Two small and dark coloured engorged tick nymphs of 2.8mm and 1.5mmin lengthwere found attached to the skin near the eyes and the beak of a Tree pipit (Anthus trivialis L.) captured for banding in the island of Lågskär in May 2005. The tick nymphs were morphologically identified as Ixodes frontalis Linnaeus. This species has not been previously reported from Finland

A response to the comments by Heylen et al. in the preceeding article

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Siberian Subtype Tickborne Encephalitis Virus, Finland

We isolated 11 Siberian subtype tickborne encephalitis virus (TBEV) strains from Ixodes persulcatus ticks from a TBEV-endemic focus in the Kokkola Archipelago, western Finland. Thus I. persulcatus and the Siberian TBEV are reported in a focus considerably northwest of their previously known range in eastern Europe and Siberia

Sindbis Virus Infection in Resident Birds, Migratory Birds, and Humans, Finland

Resident grouse may be involved in the epidemiology of SINV in humans

Characterization of a Novel Flavivirus from Mosquitoes in Northern Europe That Is Related to Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses of the Tropics▿

A novel flavivirus was isolated from mosquitoes in Finland, representing the first mosquito-borne flavivirus from Northern Europe. The isolate, designated Lammi virus (LAMV), was antigenically cross-reactive with other flaviviruses and exhibited typical flavivirus morphology as determined by electron microscopy. The genomic sequence of LAMV was highly divergent from the recognized flaviviruses, and yet the polyprotein properties resembled those of mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequence showed that LAMV represented a distinct lineage related to the Aedes sp.-transmitted human pathogenic flaviviruses, similarly to the newly described Nounané virus (NOUV), a flavivirus from Africa (S. Junglen et al., J. Virol. 83:4462-4468, 2009). Despite the low sequence homology, LAMV and NOUV were phylogenetically grouped closely, likely representing separate species of a novel group of flaviviruses. Despite the biological properties preferring replication in mosquito cells, the genetic relatedness of LAMV to viruses associated with vertebrate hosts warrants a search for disease associations

Molecular Epidemiology of Dengue Virus Strains from Finnish Travelers

We characterized 11 dengue virus (DENV) isolates obtained from Finnish travelers during 2000–2005 using monoclonal antibodies and phylogenetic analysis. The analysis of DENV isolated from travelers contributes to the global picture of strain distribution and circulation. The isolates included all serotypes, including a DENV-2 isolate from Ghana