![]() ![]() ![]() Haemaphysalis sulcata Canestrini & FanzagoĬlimate characteristics of the eight Bhanja virus areas in Europe: climadiagrams sensu Walter (monthly course of mean air temperature and precipitation mean annual temperature and mean total precipitation).Ĭluster analysis of terrestrial flora among the foci resulted in a group consisting of three Central-Italian foci ( F, G, V), related floristically to B, South-Italian foci ( C, S) formed another group, while Bulgarian A is less similar, and Slovak K the least related focus ( Figure 6). Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago A great number of resources were utilized for the survey: Flora Europaea plus national and regional floral checklists, monographs for geographic distribution of ixodid ticks, and an extensive collection of literature for vertebrates. were included, each species occurring in at least one of the areas. ixodid ticks ( Table 1) and 96 mammalian, 172 avian, and 40 reptilian spp. Description of biota focused on terrestrial vascular plants ( Tracheophyta), ixodid ticks ( Ixodidae- Table 1) and vertebrates ( Vertebrata), and based on checklists of species present in the eight European areas: a total of 2517 spp. The aim has been to search for features in common among the eight areas. Natural focus of Bhanja virus infections in southeastern Slovakia (Slovak Karst at Kečovo, K).Ĭomplex description of the natural foci has been based on physico-geographic characterization (for a list of the characters, see Supplementary Material available online at doi:10.1155/2009/372691): topography (40 characters), geology and pedology (47 characters), climate (39 characters), and gross vegetation (15 characters). The procedure is characterized by comparing known natural foci of BHAV within Europe to extract their typical features and select those characters that can be used as factors predicting potential presence of the virus in other geographic areas. In this contribution, another approach is presented that is based on a “close (ground) sensing” of data. Modern predictive methods for potential geographic distribution of organisms, for example, of ixodid ticks or pathogens they transmit, are usually based on “remote sensing” satellite imagery combined with the use of geographic information system. Experimental encephalitis was produced in another primate species-rhesus monkey. Several cases of BHAV febrile illness have been described in humans, with symptoms including photophobia, vomiting, meningoencephalitis, and pareses. The virus does not usually cause apparent infection in adult animals but is pathogenic for young ruminants (lamb, kid, calf) causing fever and symptoms indicating the CNS affection. Vertebrate hosts of BHAV are sheep, goat, cattle, African hedgehog Atelerix albiventris, and African ground squirrel Xerus erythropus. appendiculatus, Boophilus decoloratus, B. sulcata, Dermacentor marginatus, Hyalomma marginatum, H. intermedia, it was also isolated from Haemaphysalis punctata, H. The virus is transmitted by metastriate ixodid ticks: in addition to H. The letters indicate the selected foci for their abbreviations see Section 2. 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.īhanja virus in Europe at the time of the study start: dot: BHAV isolated circle with four short lines: antibody positivity ≥50% of domestic ruminants circle: seropositivity <50%. (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 alliances Quercetalia pubescentis, Festucetalia valesiacae, and Brometalia erecti, involving pastoral areas, (3) presence of at least one of the tick species Haemaphysalis punctata, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus bursa, and/or Hyalomma marginatum, and (4) presence of ≥60% of the 180 BHAV bioindicator (157 plant, 4 ixodid tick, and 19 vertebrate spp.). Comparative biogeographic study of eight known natural foci of BHAV infections in Europe (in Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovakia) has revealed their common features. Geographic distribution of BHAV covers southern and Central Asia, Africa, and southern (partially also central) Europe. This generally neglected arbovirus of the family Bunyaviridae is transmitted by metastriate ticks of the genera Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Boophilus, and Amblyomma. Bhanja virus (BHAV) is pathogenic for young domestic ruminants and also for humans, causing fever and affections of the central nervous system. ![]()
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