Search

In the past decade, leishmaniasis seems to be re-emerging in Balkan countries. There are serious implications that Kosovo is a visceral leishmaniasis endemic region with autochthonous transmission; nevertheless, surveillance of vectors, reservoirs or the disease is not yet established. Gaining knowledge about sandfly vector species is a prerequisite for the development of a monitoring and control plan in the future. After a long gap in research of over 70 years, sandfly studies in Kosovo were resumed in 2014. During this presence/absence study, nine sandfly species were detected: Phlebotomus papatasi, Ph. perfiliewi, Ph. tobbi, Ph. neglectus, Ph. simici, Ph. balcanicus, Ph. alexandri, Ph. mascittii and Sergentomyia minuta. Three species are new with regard to the fauna of Kosovo - Ph. alexandri, Ph. balcanicus and Ph. mascittii. Besides increased diversity, changes in the number of collected specimens and distribution range of species were recorded, with Ph. neglectus being the most dominant species with the widest distribution. Testing of randomly chosen females for Leishmania spp. DNA resulted the in detection of L. tropica in a specimen of Ph. neglectus. the presence of numerous vector species in the sandfly fauna of Kosovo pose a threat for the re-emergence of vector-borne diseases. Therefore, continuous surveillance is recommended with regular updates on vector distribution and abundance., EurNegVec COST ActionEuropean Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) [TD1303]; VectorNet project - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) contract [OC/FSA/AHAW/2013/02-FWC1]; European Virus Archive goes Global project (EVAg) - European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme [653316]; Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia [III43007, TR31084]; European Commission, Horizon 2020 Infrastructure Infravec2 projectEuropean Commission, The authors express their gratitude to Vid Srdic who designed the map for this manuscript. the work of Slavica Vaselek, Yusuf Ozbel, Bulen Alten and Dusan Petric was carried out under the frame of EurNegVec COST Action TD1303. the work was supported by VectorNet project funded by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) contract OC/FSA/AHAW/2013/02-FWC1; European Virus Archive goes Global project (EVAg) funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 653316); and projects III43007 and TR31084 financed by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia and European Commission, Horizon 2020 Infrastructure Infravec2 project (https://infravec2.eu).

Sandfly-transmitted phleboviruses are globally spread agents causing febrile diseases and central nervous system infections. The activity of pathogenic phleboviruses, as well as several novel strains, has been reported from Turkey, a transboundary country connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa with suitable habitats for sandflies. This study overviews all published data on phleboviruses from Turkey and evaluates the impact from the virological, epidemiological, and public health perspectives. A systematic review of Web-based global and local resources was performed. Comparison and phylogenetic analyses of particular phlebovirus sequences were also undertaken. Through the evaluation of 1693 international and regional entries, 31 manuscripts providing data on case reports or outbreaks, serological surveillance, animal infections and exposure, virus characterization, vector surveillance, and/or diagnostics were accessed. Detailed information on 5 novel phleboviruses completely or partially characterized during 2008-2015 as well as on clinical and epidemiological features of major phleboviruses established as human pathogens such as Toscana virus and sandfly fever Sicilian virus has been compiled. The ongoing activity of these agents, as indicated by consistently reported symptomatic cases and confirmed exposure in vertebrates including humans, was noted. The circulation in the Anatolian peninsula of phleboviruses with surprising diversity as well as distinct virus species is documented. Specific phlebovirus strains constitute a public health threat for local populations and travelers and must be considered in the diagnostic workup of clinically compatible cases. Human health impact and epidemiological aspects of certain viruses require further investigation via intensive surveillance.