Prevalence of Toscana sandfly fever virus antibodies in neurological patients and control subjects in Sicily.
Toscana sandfly fever virus (TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted to humans by sandfly vectors. It has been associated with human cases of meningitis and meningo-encephalitis mainly occurring during the warm season. We performed a retrospective serological study to evaluate TOSV circulation in Palermo, Sicily, and to compare TOSV seroprevalence in patients with neurological symptoms and in a control group of patients without neurological symptoms. When sera from 155 patients with and without neurological symptoms were evaluated, the rate of overall TOSV IgG reactivity was 17.4%. Patients with neurological symptoms showed a higher percentage of TOSV IgG positivity than control patients (25% versus 10.8%). TOSV exposure was confirmed by virus neutralization tests which also detected a Naples virus (SFNV) infection. TOSV should be considered as an etiologic agent in the differential diagnosis of fever and meningo-encephalitis in Sicily.
Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Universita Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Claudia
C
Colomba
Laura
L
Saporito
Maria Grazia
MG
Ciufolini
Antonella
A
Marchi
Valentina
V
Rotolo
Simona
S
De Grazia
Lucina
L
Titone
Giovanni M
GM
Giammanco
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D029301:Sandfly fever Naples virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral