Serological survey of Toscana virus infections in a high-risk population in Italy.
Toscana virus is the most important agent responsible for meningitis in central Italy. We report a serosurveillance study, using an immunoenzymatic assay, of 360 serum samples harvested from a high-risk population occupationally exposed to Toscana virus in two regions of Italy, Tuscany and Piedmont. The results indicates a seroprevalence of Toscana virus of 77.2% in the forestry workers, particularly in the Tuscany region. This fact is strictly correlated with the ecological niches specific for the survival of Toscana virus arthropod vector.
Microbiology Section, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. valassina@unisi.it
Marcello
M
Valassina
Melissa
M
Valentini
Agostino
A
Pugliese
Pier Egisto
PE
Valensin
Maria Grazia
MG
Cusi
D001103:Arboviruses; D016468:Forestry; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010217:Phlebotomus Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D029301:Sandfly fever Naples virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests