Repeated detection of West Nile virus in Aedes caspius during an unusually early transmission season in humans in northern Italy, 2026
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In Lombardy, northern Italy, 2026, the first neuroinvasive West Nile virus (WNV) human case was reported on 7 July. Concurrently, high abundances of Aedes caspius and low numbers of Culex pipiens occurred at several surveillance sites. Testing seven archived Ae. caspius pools collected in July revealed WNV lineage 2 in six pools from three independent sites. A virus sequence from Ae. caspius shared > 99.94% nt identity with contemporaneous human-derived sequences. Further investigating possible Ae. caspius vector competence, particularly for WNV lineage 2, is warranted.
Source: Eurosurveillance
Authors: Mario Chiari, Francesco Defilippo, Davide Lelli, Luigi Vezzosi, Danilo Cereda, Gabriele Del Castillo, Francesco Maraschi, Angela Ancona, Giuliano Rizzardini, Anna Marelli, Ambra Nucci, Moira Bazzucchi, Maria Gabriella Perrotta, Marino Faccini, Marinella Valenti, Simone Villa, Davide Mileto, Alessandra Lombardi, Alessandro Mancon, Valeria Micheli, Andrea Gori, Stefania Piconi, Greta Romano, Guglielmo Ferrari, Antonio Piralla, Francesca Rovida, Ana Moreno, Fausto Baldanti
Institutions: Regione Lombardia, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna "Bruno Ubertini", University of Pavia, Ministero della Salute, Luigi Sacco Hospital, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Aziende Socio Sanitarie Territoriali di Lecco, Policlinico San Matteo Fondazione
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: European Commission
OpenAlex ID: W7223408819