While fatal infections caused by the Usutu virus appeared to concern only passerines (especially the blackbird) and Strigiformes (especially the great gray owl), we report herein that the virus also naturally causes a fatal disease in an anseriforme species, the common scoter (Melanitta nigra).
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BenzartiE, LindenA, DesmechtD, GariglianyM. Mosquito-borne epornitic flaviviruses: An update and review. J Gen Virol, 2019; 100:119–132.
2.
BuchebnerN, ZenkerW, WenkerC, SteinmetzHW, et al.Low Usutu virus seroprevalence in four zoological gardens in central Europe. BMC Vet Res, 2013; 9:153.
3.
CadarD, LühkenR, van der JeugdH, GariglianyM, et al.Widespread activity of multiple lineages of Usutu virus, western Europe, 2016. Eurosurveillance, 2017; 22:30452.
4.
Cano-terrizaD, GuerraR, LecollinetS, Cerdà-cuéllarM, et al.Epidemiological survey of zoonotic pathogens in feral pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) and sympatric zoo species in Southern Spain. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis, 2015; 43:22–27.
5.
GaibaniP, RossiniG. An overview of Usutu virus. Microb Infect, 2017; 19:382–387.
6.
Jurado-tarifaE, NappS, LecollinetS, ArenasA, et al.Diseases monitoring of West Nile virus, Usutu virus and Meaban virus in Waterfowl used as decoys and wild raptors in Southern Spain. Comp Immunol Microb Infect Dis, 2016; 49:58–64.
7.
LimS, GeervlietM, VerhagenJ, MüskensG, et al.Serologic evidence of West Nile virus and Usutu virus infections in Eurasian coots in the Netherlands. Zoonoses Public Health, 2018; 65:96–102.
LlopisI, RossiL, GennaroA, MoscabA, et al.Further circulation of West Nile and Usutu viruses in wild birds in Italy. Infect Genet Evol, 2015; 32:292–297.
10.
LühkenR, JöstH, CadarD, ThomasS, et al.Distribution of usutu Virus in Germany and its effect on breeding bird populations. Emerg Infect Dis, 2017; 23:1991–1998.
StrakovaP, SikutovaS, JedlickovaP, SitkoJ, et al.The common coot as sentinel species for the presence of West Nile and Usutu flaviviruses in Central Europe. Res Vet Sci, 2015; 102:159–161.
13.
WeissenböckH, KolodziejekJ, UrlA, LussyH, et al.Emergence of Usutu virus, an African Mosquito-Borne Flavivirus of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus Group, Central Europe. Emerg Infect Dis, 2002; 8:652–656.
14.
WoodallJ. The viruses isolated from arthropods at the East African virus research institute in the 26 years ending December 1963. Proc East Afric Acad, 1964; 2:141–146.
