title: West Nile virus positive blood donation and subsequent entomological investigation, Austria, 2014.
abstract: The detection of West Nile virus (WNV) nucleic acid in a blood donation from Vienna, Austria, as well as in Culex pipiens pupae and egg rafts, sampled close to the donor's residence, is reported. Complete genomic sequences of the human- and mosquito-derived viruses were established, genetically compared and phylogenetically analyzed. The viruses were not identical, but closely related to each other and to recent Czech and Italian isolates, indicating co-circulation of related WNV strains within a confined geographic area. The detection of WNV in a blood donation originating from an area with low WNV prevalence in humans (only three serologically diagnosed cases between 2008 and 2014) is surprising and emphasizes the importance of WNV nucleic acid testing of blood donations even in such areas, along with active mosquito surveillance programs.
authors.affiliation: Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kolodziejek
authors.affiliation: Technical Office of Ecology and Landscape Assessment, Persenbeug, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.affiliation: Austrian Red Cross, Blood Service for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jungbauer
authors.affiliation: Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dimmel
authors.affiliation: Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolodziejek
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rudolf
authors.affiliation: Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hubálek
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Allerberger
authors.affiliation: Viral Zoonoses, Emerging and Vector-Borne Infections Group, Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nowotny
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D001782:Blood Donors; D003465:Culex / Q000821:virology*; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D058889:Molecular Typing; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020815:Polyproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D020815:Polyproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins