Novel phleboviruses detected in ticks, Greece

Anna Papa; Anastasia Kontana; Katerina Tsioka; Ilias Chaligiannis; Smaragda Sotiraki

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.02.017

Novel phleboviruses detected in ticks, Greece

Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2016 Jul;7(5):690-693. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.02.017. Epub 2016 Feb 24.

Authors

Anna Papa¹, Anastasia Kontana², Katerina Tsioka³, Ilias Chaligiannis³, Smaragda Sotiraki⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: annap@med.auth.gr.
² Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
³ Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece; Veterinary Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Foundation, NAGREF Campus, PO Box 60272, Thermi, Thessaloniki 57001, Greece.
⁴ Veterinary Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Foundation, NAGREF Campus, PO Box 60272, Thermi, Thessaloniki 57001, Greece.

PMID: 26935112
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.02.017

Abstract

Since 2009, when severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus and Heartland virus have been identified and associated with disease in humans, the interest on tick-borne phleboviruses is increasing rapidly. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of tick-borne phleboviruses in Greece and compare them with respective ones detected worldwide. Ticks collected from goats and sheep in 60 sites of 13 regional units of Greece were grouped in pools (1-3 ticks per pool) and tested for the presence of phleboviral RNA. Six of 210 pools were positive; they consisted of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks collected from sheep in 3 regional units of Greece: Pella (2/30, 6.7%), Imathia (2/21, 9.5%), and Ioannina (2/28, 7.1%). The overall tick minimum infection rate was 2.1%. The sequences of the Greek phlebovirus (provisionally named Antigone virus) form a distinct clade in the tick-borne phleboviruses, differing by >40% from the currently known phleboviruses. Any probable implication of these viruses to public health remains to be elucidated.

Keywords: Greece; Phlebovirus; Tick-borne; Ticks.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Ectoparasitic Infestations / parasitology
Ectoparasitic Infestations / veterinary
Goat Diseases / parasitology
Goats
Greece
Phlebovirus / classification*
Phlebovirus / isolation & purification*
Phylogeny
RNA, Viral / analysis
RNA, Viral / genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sequence Homology
Sheep
Sheep Diseases / parasitology
Ticks / virology*

Substances

RNA, Viral