Detection of Usutu virus infection in a healthy blood donor from south-west Germany, 2012

L Allering; H Jöst; P Emmerich; S Günther; E Lattwein; M Schmidt; E Seifried; V Sambri; K Hourfar; J Schmidt-Chanasit

Detection of Usutu virus infection in a healthy blood donor from south-west Germany, 2012

Euro Surveill. 2012 Dec 13;17(50):20341.

Authors

L Allering¹, H Jöst, P Emmerich, S Günther, E Lattwein, M Schmidt, E Seifried, V Sambri, K Hourfar, J Schmidt-Chanasit

Affiliation

¹ Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Hamburg, Germany.

PMID: 23241231

Abstract

From September 2011 until November 2012, 31 serum samples from German patients with clinically suspected acute Usutu virus (USUV) infections were tested for USUV-specific antibodies. All samples tested negative. In addition, 4,200 serum samples from healthy blood donors from south-west Germany were collected in January 2012 and also analysed for the presence of specific antibodies. One sample tested positive for USUV-IgG and -IgM. Thus, the seroprevalence of USUV antibodies in healthy blood donors from south-west Germany was low in January 2012.

MeSH terms

Antibodies, Viral / blood*
Blood Donors / statistics & numerical data*
Encephalitis Viruses, Japanese / immunology*
Encephalitis Viruses, Japanese / isolation & purification
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Female
Flavivirus Infections / blood*
Flavivirus Infections / epidemiology
Flavivirus Infections / immunology
Germany / epidemiology
Humans
Immunoglobulin G / immunology
Immunoglobulin M / immunology
Male
Neutralization Tests
Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

Antibodies, Viral
Immunoglobulin G
Immunoglobulin M