Authors: I. Rudolf 1,2; D. Fuchs 3; R. Ciupek 4; O. Šebesta 1,4; S. Šikutová 1; K. Mravcová 1; H. Zelená 5 Authors‘ workplace: Ústav biologie obratlovců AV ČR, v. v. i., Brno 1; Ústav experimentální biologie, Přírodovědecká fakulta, Masarykova univerzita, Brno 2; Nemocnice Břeclav, Infekční oddělení, Břeclav 3; Krajská hygienická stanice Jihomoravského kraje se sídlem v Brně 4; Zdravotní ústav se sídlem v Ostravě, Oddělení virologie, Ostrava 5 Published in: Epidemiol. Mikrobiol. Imunol. 75, 2026, č. 1, s. 38-41 Category: Short Communication doi: https://doi.org/10.61568/emi/11-6659/20260202/142618
Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen that taxonomically belongs to the genus Flavivirus and the family Flaviviridae. This arbovirus originating in Africa caused a major bird die-off near Vienna and its surroundings in 2001. Since then, the virus has progressively spread across southern, western and central Europe, including the Czech Republic. Despite the initial assumption that USUV is primarily pathogenic to birds (and highly virulent especially to blackbirds), several dozen human cases have been reported in Europe since 2019, and their number is steadily increasing. In this paper, we document a human case of Usutu virus meningitis in South Moravia at the end of the 2024 mosquito season and highlight the urgent need for regular surveillance of mosquitoes, birds, and humans, also focusing on other mosquito-borne diseases (in addition to West Nile virus and Ťahyňa virus) in the Czech Republic. The study authors obtained the patient‘s consent to publish this case report.
arboviruses − Usutu − mosquitoes − Culex pipiens − birds − One Health
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