Epidemic Spread of Usutu Virus in Southwest Germany in 2011 to 2013 and Monitoring of Wild Birds for Usutu and West Nile Viruses.
Mosquito-borne viruses are becoming an increasing threat for Europe. One of these viruses is Usutu virus (USUV), a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Japanese encephalitis virus group within the family Flaviviridae. Since the occurrence of USUV among wild birds in June, 2011, infected Blackbirds (Turdus merula) have frequently been found dead in southwest Germany, cumulating in a massive die-off. Moreover, other bird species (Strigiformes) in this region have been affected. In a first study, 209 of over 600 dead birds (wild birds and birds kept in aviaries) collected from 2011 to 2013 carried USUV, more than 88% of them Blackbirds. USUV had already been detected in 2010, one year before the epizooty, in a mosquito-based surveillance program in Germany. The main epidemic area of the USUV outbreak in wild birds in southwest Germany has been similar for the last three years. In a second study during 2011 to 2013, 902 live migratory and resident birds (representing 87 bird species belonging to 14 bird orders) from four different sampling sites were bled and tested serologically and by qPCR for West Nile virus (WNV) and USUV infections. No USUV or WNV genomes were detected. Some migratory birds (mainly long-distance migrants and some partial migrants) carried neutralizing antibodies against WNV as discriminated by USUV and WNV cross-neutralization tests. Only few resident birds showed relevant USUV-specific neutralizing antibodies. The occurrence of USUV in the Upper Rhine valley area of southwest Germany is a proof of principle for the incursion and spread of other arthropod-borne (arbo)-viruses along these routes. Therefore, monitoring studies in birds and mosquitoes for the presence of arboviruses in these areas are indispensable.
1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases , Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany .
Ute
U
Ziegler
2 German Mosquito Control Association (KABS) Speyer , Germany .
Hanna
H
Jöst
3 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinic, Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin, Germany .
Kerstin
K
Müller
4 Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus Liebig University Giessen , Giessen, Germany .
Dominik
D
Fischer
5 Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and ornamental Fish, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich , Oberschleißheim, Germany .
Monika
M
Rinder
6 Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Heidelberg University , Heidelberg, Germany .
Dieter Thomas
DT
Tietze
7 State Institute for Chemical and Veterinary Analysis (CVUA) , Freiburg, Germany .
Klaus-Jürgen
KJ
Danner
2 German Mosquito Control Association (KABS) Speyer , Germany .
Norbert
N
Becker
8 State Institute for Chemical and Veterinary Analysis (CVUA) , Karlsruhe, Germany .
Jasmin
J
Skuballa
9 Landesbetrieb Hessisches Landeslabor, Veterinary virology and molecular biology , Giessen, Germany .
Hans-Peter
HP
Hamann
10 Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) Baden-Württemberg , Stuttgart, Germany .
Stefan
S
Bosch
1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases , Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany .
Christine
C
Fast
1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases , Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany .
Martin
M
Eiden
11 Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) , Department of Virology, Hamburg, Germany .
Jonas
J
Schmidt-Chanasit
1 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases , Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany .
Martin H
MH
Groschup
D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D001717:Birds; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D018349:Encephalitis Viruses, Japanese / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004671:Encephalitis, Arbovirus; D058872:Epidemics; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D018177:Flavivirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005843:Geography; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing
Arbovirus; Birds; Germany; Monitoring; Usutu virus; West Nile virus