Abstract
In central Italy, acute lymphocytic meningitis and meningoencephalitis due to a Phlebotomus transmitted virus (Phlebovirus Toscana, TOSv) occurring throughout the summer are frequently observed. Several serum specimens of patients hospitalized with a clinical picture of viral meningitis/meningoencephalitis showed anti TOS-IgG reactivity suggestive of a previous infection occurring at an unknown time in the past. This observation led us to design a serological investigation of 83 household contacts of 46 summertime CNS infection patients (index cases) with the purpose of evaluating the percentage of both IgG and IgM in seropositive healthy individuals, living, like the index cases, in areas at high risk of phlebotomine sandfly bites. The serological study was carried out using an ELISA method: 22% of the sera showed a reactivity for anti-TOS IgG antibodies and 6% resulted IgG/IgM positive; none of them reported having had any symptoms of CNS involvement; the distribution of seropositive cases was similar in contacts of both TOS-confirmed and TOS-negative cases. Our results indicate: (1) that phlebovirus Toscana is frequently implicated in cases with CNS disease as well as in infections occurring without neurological involvement; (2) in our country the ecological requirements encompass the conditions in and around the human settlements for phlebotomine sandflies to become peridomestic thus amplifying the risk of TOSv infections, which are in fact widespread and frequent in Siena and its surroundings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Nicoletti L, Verani P, Caciolli S, Ciufolini MG, Renzi A, Bartolozzi D, Paci P, Leoncini F, Padovani P, Traini E, Baldereschi M, Balducci M. Central nervous system involvement during infection by Phlebovirus Toscana of residents in natural foci in central Italy (1977–88). Am J Trop Med Hyg 1991; 42: 262–434.
Paci P, Balducci M, Verani P, Coluzzi M, Amaducci L, Leoncini F, Nicoletti L, Ciufolini MG, Fratiglioni L. Toscana virus, a new Phlebotomus trasmitted virus isolated in Italy. Proceeding of International Congress for Infectious Diseases, Vienna, 1984: 34–39.
Verani P, Lopes MC, Nicoletti L, Balducci M. Studies on Phlebotomus-transmitted viruses in Italy. I. Isolation and characterization of a sand fly fever Naples-like virus. In: Vesenjak-Hirjan J, Porterfield JS, Arslanagic E (eds), Arboviruses in the Mediterranean Countries. Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag, 1980: 195–201.
Gonzales-Scarano F, Nathanson N. Bunyaviridae (chap 48). In: Fields BN, Knipe DM, Howley PM, et al. (eds), Fields Virology, 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven, 1996: 1453–1504.
Verani P, Ciufolini MG, Caciolli S, Renzi A, Nicoletti L, Sabatinelli G, Bartolozzi D, Volpi G, Amaducci L, Coluzzi M, Paci P, Balducci M. Ecology of viruses isolated from sand flies in Italy and characterization of a new Phlebovirus (Arbia virus). Am J Trop Med Hyg 1988; 38: 433–439.
Leoncini F, Bartalozzi D, Banchi S, Balducci M, Fratiglioni L, Caciolli S, Renzi A. I1 virus Toscana: Un nuovo flebovirus causa di malattie infiammatorie acute del SNC nell'uomo. Giorn Mal Inf Parass 1986; 38: 649–652.
Paci P, Bartalozzi D, Di Pietro M, Leoncini F, Mazzotta F, Paoli M, Balocchini E, Meli M, Milo D, Mecocci L. Virus neurotropi: Aspetti clinici di alcune patologie emergenti. Giorn Mal Inf Parass 1990; 42: 262–269.
Ehrnst A, Peters CJ, Niklassen B, Svednyr A, Holingres B. Neurovirulent Toscana-virus (a Sandfly fever virus) in Swedish man after visit to Portugal. Lancet I 1985: 1212–1213.
Calisher CH, Weinberg AN, Muth DJ, Saznick JS. Toscana virus infection in United States citizen returning from Italy. Lancet I 1987: 165–166.
Schwarz TF, Gilch S, Iager E. Travel-related Toscana-virus infetction. Lancet II 1993: 803–804.
Eckhof-Donovan S, Schwarz TF, Baethmann M, Voit T, Lenard HG. Pappataci-Fieber als Differential-diagnose bei Meningitis im Kindesalter. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd 1995; 143: 839–842.
Rossolini A, Corradini S, Regoli G, Ciufolini M, Fiorentini C, Del Ministro V, Sancasciani S, Marchi B, Braito A. Meningiti da Flebovirus Toscana nel Senese: Segnalazione dei primi casi. Atti V Giornata di Facoltà, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia dell'Università di Siena, Siena 20 novembre, 1993: p. 265.
Ciufolini MG, Caciolli S, Nicoletti L, Carletti G. Detection of IgG and IgM antibodies by Elisa assay. Arbo Info Exch, December 1989: 42–43.
Clarke DH, Casals J. Techniques for hemagglutination and Hemagglutination inhibition with arthropodborn-viruses. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1958; 7: 561–573.
Nicoletti L, Verani P, Ciufolini MG, Zampetti P: Phlebotomus transmitted viruses in Italy: Serological status of human beengs. In: Vesenja K, Hirjan J, et al. (eds), Arboviruses in the Mediterranean Countries. Zbl Bakteriol, 1980; 19(suppl): 203–208.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Braito, A., Corbisiero, R., Corradini, S. et al. Evidence of Toscana virus infections without central nervous system involvement: A serological study. Eur J Epidemiol 13, 761–764 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007422103992
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007422103992