Toscana virus tree showing H.sapiens-wt/Italy/2014/Genotype-A_BB8 segments detected in a returned Australian traveller

Toscana virus (TOSV) is identified in sandflies, animals and humans around the Mediterranean Sea. TOSV has not been reported in Australia. During investigations of cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with encephalitis, a TOSV was identified in a traveller returning to Australia from Europe. <br>TOSV should be considered, especially during May to October, in travellers to Australia who embarked in countries in and around the Mediterranean Sea and who subsequently present for medical care because of neurological symptoms.<br><div><p>LEGEND.</p><p>Phylogenetic representation of complete and near complete Toscana virus (TOSV) lineage L (1a), M (1b) and S (1c) gene nucleotide segments compared to a Sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV). Lineage A and B strains are indicated by blue (solid outline) and green boxes (dashed outline), respectively. A circle indicates the TOSV strain H.sapiens-wt/Italy/2014/Genotype-A_BB8, described here. MEGA7 was used to construct Neighbor-Joining trees with distances calculated using the p-distance method (500 bootstraps; percentage replicate tree branching patterns are shown next to initial branches). </p></div