Marion Clé, Orianne Constant, Jonathan Barthelemy, Caroline Desmetz, Marie France Martin, Lina Lapeyre, Daniel Cadar, Giovanni Savini, Liana Teodori, Federica Monaco, Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, Juan-Carlos Saiz, Gaëlle Gonzales, Sylvie Lecollinet, Cécile Beck, Fabien Gosselet, Philippe Van de Perre, Vincent Foulongne, Sara Salinas, Yannick Simonin
BACKGROUND: Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging neurotropic arthropod-borne virus recently involved in massive die offs of wild birds predominantly reported in Europe. Although primarily asymptomatic or presenting mild clinical signs, humans infected by USUV can develop neuroinvasive pathologies (including encephalitis and meningoencephalitis). Similar to other flaviviruses, such as West Nile virus, USUV is capable of reaching the central nervous system. However, the neuropathogenesis of USUV is still poorly understood, and the virulence of the specific USUV lineages is currently unknown...
January 6, 2021: Journal of Neuroinflammation