Biogeography of Tick-Borne Bhanja Virus (Bunyaviridae) in Europe
Open Access
- 1 January 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 2009, 1-11
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/372691
Abstract
Bhanja virus (BHAV) is pathogenic for young domestic ruminants and also for humans, causing fever and affections of the central nervous system. This generally neglected arbovirus of the familyBunyaviridaeis transmitted by metastriate ticks of the generaHaemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Boophilus, andAmblyomma. Geographic distribution of BHAV covers southern and Central Asia, Africa, and southern (partially also central) Europe. Comparative biogeographic study of eight known natural foci of BHAV infections in Europe (in Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovakia) has revealed their common features. (1) submediterranean climatic pattern with dry growing season and wet mild winter (or microlimatically similar conditions, e.g., limestone karst areas in central Europe), (2) xerothermic woodland-grassland ecosystem, with plant alliancesQuercetalia pubescentis, Festucetalia valesiacae, and Brometalia erecti, involving pastoral areas, (3) presence of at least one of the tick speciesHaemaphysalis punctata, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus bursa, and/orHyalomma marginatum, and (4) presence of60% of the 180 BHAV bioindicator (157 plant, 4 ixodid tick, and 19 vertebrate spp.). On that basis, Greece, France (southern, including Corsica), Albania, Spain, Hungary, European Turkey, Ukraine (southern), Switzerland (southern), Austria (southeastern), Germany (southern), Moldova, and European Russia (southern) have been predicted as additional European regions where BHAV might occur.
Keywords
Funding Information
- European Union (GOCE-2003-010284 EDEN)
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Isolation of “exotic” Bhanja virus (Bunyaviridae) from ticks in the temperate zoneArchiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 1988
- Evaluation of Climatic Similarity Between Areas in BiogeographyJournal of Biogeography, 1988
- Experimental pathogenicity of Bhanja virusZentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene. Series A: Medical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Virology, Parasitology, 1987
- Geographic distribution of Bhanja virus.1987
- [Ecological and nosological study of tick-borne arboviruses in Senegal. II. Experimental study of the pathogenicity of the Bhanja virus in small domestic ruminants].1981
- [Kisemayo virus, a representative of the Bhanja antigenic group].1979
- Isolation of Bhanja virus from ticks of the genus Haemaphysalis in southeast Bulgaria and presence of antibodies in pastured sheep.1978
- Survey for antibodies to arboviruses in man and animals in Italy. IV. Serological status of human beings and animals in a central italian region (Grosseto province).1977
- Incidence of arbovirus antibodies in bovine, ovine and human sera collected in Eastern Sicily.1976
- Arbovirus investigations in southern Italy (Calabria).1971