Experimental Infection of Dogs with Toscana Virus and Sandfly Fever Sicilian Virus to Determine Their Potential as Possible Vertebrate Hosts.

ABSTRACT: The sandfly-borne Toscana phlebovirus (TOSV), a close relative of the sandfly fever Sicilian phlebovirus (SFSV), is one of the most common causes of acute meningitis or meningoencephalitis in humans in the Mediterranean Basin. However, most of human phlebovirus infections in endemic areas either are asymptomatic or cause mild influenza-like illness. To date, a vertebrate reservoir for sandfly-borne phleboviruses has not been identified. Dogs are a prime target for blood-feeding phlebotomines and are the primary reservoir of human sandfly-borne Leishmania infantum. However, there are no definitive studies to assess whether dogs play a significant role as a reservoir host for human phlebovirus survival in the environment. Here, we have evaluated the susceptibility of domestic dogs to infecti

SUBMITTER: Munoz C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7232252 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature