Arbovirus screening of mosquitoes collected in 2022 in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, with the implementation of a real-time PCR for the detection of Tahyna virus

• Published in: One health Vol. 18; p. 100670
• Main Authors: Calzolari, Mattia, Callegari, Emanuele, Grisendi, Annalisa, Munari, Martina, Russo, Simone, Sgura, Danilo, Giannini, Antonio, Dalmonte, Gastone, Scremin, Mara, Dottori, Michele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.06.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aedes caspius; arboviruses; California encephalitis orthobunyavirus; carbon dioxide; Culex pipiens; Culicidae; Entomological surveillance; Italy; monitoring; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Research Paper; risk; species; Tahyna virus; Usutu virus; viral load; West Nile virus; Italy; Culex pipiens; Entomological surveillance; Usutu virus; West Nile virus; Tahyna virus; Aedes caspius
• ISSN: 2352-7714; 2352-7714
• DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100670

Several Arboviruses (Arthropod-borne virus) are a concrete health risk. While some arboviruses, such as the West Nile virus (WNV) and the Usutu virus (USUV) are actively surveyed, others are neglected, including the Tahyna virus (TAHV). In this work, we tested – searching for all the three viruses – 37,995 mosquitoes collected in 95 attractive traps, baited by carbon dioxide, distributed in the lowlands of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, between 19 July and 12 August 2022. Among the 668 pools obtained, WNV was detected in 45 pools of Culex (Cx.) pipiens and USUV was recorded in 24 pools of the same mosquito; ten of these Cx. pipiens pools tested positive for both WNV and USUV. Interestingly, we recorded a significant circulation of both WNV lineage 1 (WNV-L1) and lineage 2 (WNV-L2): WNV-L1 strains were detected in 40 pools, WNV-L2 strains in three pools and both lineages were detected in two pools. TAHV was detected in 8 different species of mosquitoes in a total of 37 pools: Aedes (Ae.) caspius (25), Ae. albopictus (5), Ae. vexans (3), Cx. pipiens (2), Ae. cinereus (1) and Anopheles maculipennis sl (1). The significant number of Ae. caspius-pools tested positive and the estimated viral load suggest that this mosquito is the principal vector in the surveyed area. The potential involvement of other mosquito species in the TAHV cycle could usefully be the subject of further experimental investigation. The results obtained demonstrate that, with adequate sampling effort, entomological surveillance is able to detect arboviruses circulating in a given area. Further efforts must be made to better characterise the TAHV cycle in the surveyed area and to define health risk linked to this virus. •Several Arboviruses (Arthropod-borne viruses) are a threat to Public Health.•West Nile and Usutu viruses are the subject of entomological surveillance in Emilia-Romagna.•The entomological surveillance detected selected arboviruses in a given area.•The neglected Tahyna virus was detected, mainly in Ae. caspius, through this surveillance.•We need to characterise the exact TAHV-health threat in the surveyed area.