title: Usutu virus, Belgium, 2016.
abstract: During late summer 2016, in a northwest European region extending over Belgium, the Netherlands and the eastern border of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia, an outbreak of wild bird deaths occurred similar to those reported on the continent since 1996. Dead birds were necropsied and examined by complementary methods. Pathologic and immunohistological investigations strongly suggested an infection by Usutu virus. Subsequently, genomic segments of the said virus were detected, the virus was isolated and its complete genome was sequenced. The strain, designated Usutu-LIEGE, is a close phylogenetic relative of those isolated in Germany which form a distinct group within the USUV phylogeny, the so-called Europe_3 lineage. Should this outbreak recapitulate the characteristics of those in southwest Germany in 2011 and in/around Vienna (Austria) in 2001, it is expected that specific avian populations in the affected area will face a significant reduction in size for a few years.
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garigliany
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium; Surveillance Network for Wildlife Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Linden
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gilliau
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarlet
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franssen
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benzarti
authors.affiliation: Natagora, c/o Maison Liégeoise de l'Environnement, Rue Fusch 3, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Derouaux
authors.affiliation: Functional and Evolutive Entomology, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech., University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.affiliation: FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. Electronic address: daniel.desmecht@ulg.ac.be.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Desmecht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D018349:Encephalitis Viruses, Japanese / Q000235:genetics*; D004671:Encephalitis, Arbovirus / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D018177:Flavivirus Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005814:Genes, Viral; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins
keywords: Blackbird; Emergence; Flaviviridae; Usutu