Serologic evidence of West Nile virus and Usutu virus infections in Eurasian coots in the Netherlands

West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) are arboviruses that are maintained in enzootic transmission cycles between mosquitoes and birds and are occasionally transmitted to mammals. As arboviruses are currently expanding their geographic range and emerging in often unpredictable locations, surveillance is considered an important element of preparedness. To determine whether sera collected from resident and migratory birds in the Netherlands as part of avian influenza surveillance would also represent an effective source for proactive arbovirus surveillance, a random selection of such sera was screened for WNV antibodies using a commercial ELISA. In addition, sera of jackdaws and carrion crows captured for previous experimental infection studies were added to the selection. Of the 265 screened serum samples, 27 were found to be WNV–antibody‐positive, and subsequent cross‐neutralization experiments using WNV and USUV confirmed that five serum samples were positive for only WNV‐neutralizing antibodies and seven for only USUV. The positive birds consisted of four Eurasian coots (Fulica atra) and one carrion crow (Corvus corone) for WNV, of which the latter may suggest local presence of the virus, and only Eurasian coots for USUV. As a result, the screening of a small selection of serum samples originally collected for avian influenza surveillance demonstrated a seroprevalence of 1.6% for WNV and 2.8% for USUV, suggesting that this sustained infrastructure could serve as a useful source for future surveillance of arboviruses such as WNV and USUV in the Netherlands.     

How to succeed as a virus: strategies for dealing with the immune system

Viruses may be viewed as genetic information whose success depends on avoiding elimination from individual hosts, or, if this is not possible, in persisting in the population of their hosts. The immune system represents the crucial defense mechanism responsible for the elimination of viruses from individual hosts and for the establishment of immunity that prevents a recurring infection by the same virus. Herd immunity, i.e., immunity of the population against infection resulting from the immunity of a certain fraction of the individuals of the population, represents an important concept in the interaction of viruses with their hosts. Thus, if the number of susceptible hosts decreases below a critical threshold, viruses may risk extinction because they literally run out of substrate. This possibility is increased due to the viruses' low resistance to inactivation outside their hosts by physical influences, such as heat and ultraviolet radiation. Some viruses have adopted a strategy of dual host tropism, i.e., they may reside in reservoir hosts that permit them to survive for extended periods of times. Examples of such viruses are the large and taxonomically diverse group of arboviruses. Moreover, although not normally discussed under this aspect, influenza viruses can also be said to have adopted this strategy, in view of water fowl representing reservoir hosts from which complete viruses may directly cross over to mammals, as was the case with the equine Jilin (Guo et al., 1995) or, more recently, the H5 subtype of influenza virus in humans (Shortridge et al., 1998). In addition, influenza viruses of birds may be transmitted, albeit only partially, through genetic reassortment (Shu et al., 1996).     

A review of Ireland's waterbirds,with emphasis on wintering migrants and reference to H5N1 avian influenza

Ireland is characterised by its diversity and large abundance of wetlands, making it attractive to a wide variety of waterbirds throughout the year. This paper presents an overview of Ireland's waterbirds, including ecological factors relevant to the potential introduction, maintenance, transmission and spread of infectious agents, including the H5N1 avian influenza virus, in Ireland. Particular emphasis is placed on five groups of wintering migrants (dabbling and sieving wildfowl, grazing wildfowl, diving wildfowl, waders and gulls), noting that the H5N1 avian influenza virus has mainly been isolated from this subset of waterbirds. Ireland's wetlands are visited during the spring and summer months by hundreds of thousands of waterbirds which come to breed, predominantly from southern latitudes, and during the autumn and winter by waterbirds which come from a variety of origins (predominantly northern latitudes), and which are widely distributed and often congregate in mixed-species flocks. The distribution, feeding habits and social interactions of the five groups of wintering migrants are considered in detail. Throughout Ireland, there is interaction between different waterbird populations (breeding migrants, the wintering migrants and resident waterbird populations). There is also a regular and complex pattern of movement between feeding and roosting areas, and between wetlands and farmland. These interactions are likely to facilitate the rapid transmission and spread of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, if it were present in Ireland.     

Sero-survey on Aino, Akabane, Chuzan, bovine ephemeral fever and Japanese encephalitis virus of cattle and swine in Korea

Vector-borne arboviruses produce mild to severe symptoms in domestic animals. Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), Akabane, Aino, and Chuzan virus have been primarily attributed to reproductive disorders or febrile diseases in cattle, and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is mainly associated with reproductive failures in swine. We investigated antibody titers from domestic swine against four bovine arboviruses (BEF, Akabane, Aino, and Chuzan virus) and from cattle against JEV in Korea. While the positive rates for Akabane and BEF were 37.4% and 15.7%, the positive incidence of Chuzan and Aino were relatively low, with positive rates of 3.04% and 0.4%, respectively, based on a virus neutralization assay. Antibody titers against more than one virus were also frequently detected in domestic swine. The incidence of JEV was 51.3% among domestic cattle. In addition, one positive case was detected in the thoracic fluids from 35 aborted calves, based on the hemagglutination inhibition test. Our results indicate that swine are susceptible hosts of bovine arboviruses without showing clinical symptoms in a natural environment. Moreover, we confirmed that JEV could be associated with reproductive failure in pregnant cattle, as were other vector-borne bovine arboviruses assessed in this study.     

Isolation and Identification of Arbovirus from the Sentinel Herds in Jinghong City,Yunnan Province,China in 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand the prevalence of arboviruses in Jinghong city,Yunnan province.Three sentinel cattle were set up in Menghan township of Jinghong city in 2019,blood samples were collected regularly for isolation and identification of arboviruses,a total of 7 virus isolates were obtained.Viral nucleic acid were identification by RT-PCR,and the results showed that two strains of epidemic hemorrhagic fever virus (EHDV) with serotypes of 6 and 7,two strains of bluetongue virus (BTV) with serotypes 4 and 5,D’Aguilar virus (DAV) serotype in one strain of PALV and two unidentified circoviruses were isolated,respectively.The ORF region of virus Seg-2 and Seg-3 sequences was compared and analyzed,all the 7 regional strains of the virus were Eastern,which was most closely related to strains in Japan,Australia and India.The blood and serum of three sentinel animals were tested by viral nucleic acid and serum neutralization test,which proved that all three animals were infected with the corresponding virus.When animals were infected with the virus,specific antibodies in the serum rise rapidly,it reached peaks 3 to 4 weeks later and could remain at this level for a long time.However,the content of viral nucleic acid in the blood decreased rapidly after reaching the peak from 2 to 4 weeks.The isolation,sequence characteristics and infection characteristics of Jinghong arboviruses in animals were reported in this study,the results provided data support for further understanding of local bovine arboviruses.At the same time,7 strains of virus were isolated from 3 cattle,suggesting that there might be more arboviruses in the area.     

2019年云南省景洪市哨兵动物多种虫媒病毒的分离鉴定

本研究旨在了解云南省景洪市虫媒病毒的流行情况。2019年在景洪市勐罕镇设立了3头哨兵动物牛,定期采血进行虫媒病毒的分离与鉴定,共获得7株病毒分离物。经病毒核酸的RT-PCR鉴定,分离到2株血清型分别为6型和7型流行性出血热病毒（epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus,EHDV）,2株血清型分别为4型和5型的蓝舌病病毒（bluetongue virus,BTV）,1株帕利亚血清群病毒（palyam serogroup virus,PALV）中的D’Aguilar virus（DAV）血清型病毒和2株未鉴定出的环状病毒。经病毒Seg-2、Seg-3序列ORF区的比对和进化分析显示,7株病毒的地域型均为Eastern型,与日本、澳大利亚和印度毒株具有最近的亲缘关系。3头哨兵动物的血液和血清,经病毒核酸及血清中和试验检测,证明3头动物均被相应的病毒感染。动物感染病毒后,血清中的特异性抗体迅速上升,3~4周后达最高点并能够在该水平维持较长时间,而血液中病毒核酸含量2~4周到达最高点后则呈迅速下降趋势。本研究报道了景洪虫媒病毒的分离、毒株序列特征以及在动物上的感染特性,研究结果为进一步了解当地的牛虫媒病毒提供数据支撑,同时3头牛分离获得7株病毒,提示当地可能还存在更多种类的虫媒病毒。     

Polymerase chain reaction tests for the identification of Ross River, Kunjin and Murray Valley encephalitis virus infections in horses

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate specific, sensitive and rapid diagnostic tests using RT-PCR for the detection of Ross River virus (RRV), Kunjin virus (KV) and Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) infections in horses. METHODS: Primer sets based on nucleotide sequence encoding the envelope glycoprotein E2 of RRV and on the nonstructural protein 5 (NS5) of KV and MVEV were designed and used in single round PCRs to test for the respective viruses in infected cell cultures and, in the case of RRV, in samples of horse blood and synovial fluid. RESULTS: The primer pairs designed for each of the three viruses amplified a product of expected size from prototype viruses that were grown in cell culture. The identity of each of the products was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing indicating that in the context used the RT-PCRs were specific. RRV was detected in serums from 8 horses for which there were clinical signs consistent with RRV infection such that an acute-phase serum sample was taken and submitted for RRV serology testing. The RRV RT-PCR was analytically sensitive in that it was estimated to detect as little as 50 TCID50 of RRV per mL of serum and was specific in that the primer pairs did not amplify other products from the 8 serum samples. The RRV primers also detected virus in three independent mosquito pools known to contain RRV by virus isolation in cell culture. Samples from horses suspected to be infected with KV and MVEV were not available. CONCLUSION: Despite much anecdotal and serological evidence for infection of horses with RRV actual infection and associated clinical disease are infrequently confirmed. The availability of a specific and analytically sensitive RT-PCR for the detection of RRV provides additional opportunities to confirm the presence of this virus in clinical samples. The RT-PCR primers for the diagnosis of KV and MVEV infections were shown to be specific for cell culture grown viruses but the further validation of these tests requires the availability of appropriate clinical samples from infected horses.     

Molecular epidemiological studies of veterinary arboviral encephalitides

Recent studies using molecular genetic approaches have made important contributions to our understanding of the epidemiology of veterinary arboviral encephalitides. Viruses utilizing avian enzootic hosts, such as Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) and North American Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), evolve as relatively few, highly conserved genotypes that extend over wide geographic regions; viruses utilizing mammalian hosts with more limited dispersal evolve within multiple genotypes, each geographically restricted. Similar findings have been reported for Australian alphaviruses. This difference may be related to vertebrate host relationships and the relative mobility of mammals and avians. Whereas EEEV and Venezualan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) utilize small mammalian hosts in the tropics, most WEEV genotypes probably utilize avian hosts in both North and South America. The ability of mobile, infected avian hosts to disperse alphaviruses may result in continual mixing of virus populations, and thus limit diversification. This high degree of genetic conservation is also exhibited by EEE and Highlands J viruses in North America, where passerine birds serve as amplifying hosts in enzootic transmission foci. Most equine arboviral pathogens, including EEEV, WEEV and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), occur in a naturally virulent enzootic state and require only appropriate ecological conditions to cause epizootics and epidemics. However, VEE epizootics apparently require genetic changes to convert avirulent enzootic strains into distinct epizootic serotypes. All of these arboviruses have the potential to cause severe disease of veterinary and human health importance, and further molecular epidemiological studies will undoubtedly improve our ability to understand and control future emergence.     

The role of waterbirds in the dispersal of freshwater cladocera and bryozoa in southern Africa

It has long been presumed that waterbirds disperse the propagules of aquatic organisms. However, it is only in recent years that this claim has been empirically explored and little is still known about waterbird-mediated dispersal in southern Africa. Aquatic invertebrates are thought to be well adapted to dispersal by waterbirds because of their ability to produce hardy resting eggs. We explored the capacity of waterbirds to disperse the eggs of both cladocera and bryozoans via endo- and ectozoochory. We examined 283 faecal samples and 394 feather brushings from six waterbird species and two wetland sites in South Africa for the presence of diapausing eggs. A total of 108 intact diaspores were recovered, with intact eggs present in 16% and 7% of the faecal samples and feather brushings, respectively. Our results indicate that southern African waterbirds do take up the resting eggs of aquatic invertebrates and that these eggs can survive intact through the gut or remain attached to the feathers. These results provide evidence that waterbirds may be important vectors for aquatic invertebrates in southern Africa and imply that waterbirds may play a vital role in maintaining connectivity between invertebrate populations in isolated wetland patches.     

Triploid Grass Carp Susceptibility and Potential for Disease Transfer when used to Control Aquatic Vegetation in Reservoirs with Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy

Abstract

Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) is an often-lethal neurologic disease that affects waterbirds and their avian predators (i.e., bald eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the southern United States. Feeding trials and field surveys provided evidence that AVM is caused by a toxin-producing, undescribed cyanobacterium (UCB), which grows as an epiphyte on the leaves of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Reservoirs with documented AVM epornitics support dense growth of nonnative SAV. Waterbirds ingest the toxin when feeding on aquatic plants with the epiphytic UCB, and secondary intoxication occurs when raptors consume these birds. Vegetation management has been proposed as a means to reduce waterbird exposure to the putative toxin. We fed aquatic vegetation with and without the UCB to triploid Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella in laboratory and field trials. Only Grass Carp that ingested aquatic vegetation with the UCB developed lesions in the central nervous system. The lesions (viewed using light microscopy) appeared similar to those in birds diagnosed with AVM. Grass Carp that received aquatic vegetation without the UCB were unaffected. Grass Carp tissues from each treatment were fed to domestic chickens Gallus domesticus (an appropriate laboratory model for AVM) in a laboratory trial; the chickens displayed no neurologic signs, and histology revealed a lack of the diagnostic lesions in brain tissues. Results from our trials suggest that (1) triploid Grass Carp are susceptible to the AVM toxin, although no fish mortalities were documented; and (2) the toxin was not accumulated in Grass Carp tissues, and the risk to piscivorous avifauna is likely low. However, a longer exposure time and analysis of sublethal effects may be prudent to further evaluate the efficacy and risk of using triploid Grass Carp to manage aquatic vegetation in a system with frequent AVM outbreaks.

Received December 3, 2012; accepted August 2, 2013     

Safety and immunogenicity of a delta inulin-adjuvanted inactivated Japanese encephalitis virus vaccine in pregnant mares and foals

In 2011, following severe flooding in Eastern Australia, an unprecedented epidemic of equine encephalitis occurred in South-Eastern Australia, caused by Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) and a new variant strain of Kunjin virus, a subtype of West Nile virus (WNV_KUN). This prompted us to assess whether a delta inulin-adjuvanted, inactivated cell culture-derived Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine (JE-ADVAX™) could be used in horses, including pregnant mares and foals, to not only induce immunity to JEV, but also elicit cross-protective antibodies against MVEV and WNV_KUN. Foals, 74–152 days old, received two injections of JE-ADVAX™. The vaccine was safe and well-tolerated and induced a strong JEV-neutralizing antibody response in all foals. MVEV and WNV_KUN antibody cross-reactivity was seen in 33% and 42% of the immunized foals, respectively. JE-ADVAX™ was also safe and well-tolerated in pregnant mares and induced high JEV-neutralizing titers. The neutralizing activity was passively transferred to their foals via colostrum. Foals that acquired passive immunity to JEV via maternal antibodies then were immunized with JE-ADVAX™ at 36–83 days of age, showed evidence of maternal antibody interference with low peak antibody titers post-immunization when compared to immunized foals of JEV-naïve dams. Nevertheless, when given a single JE-ADVAX™ booster immunization as yearlings, these animals developed a rapid and robust JEV-neutralizing antibody response, indicating that they were successfully primed to JEV when immunized as foals, despite the presence of maternal antibodies. Overall, JE-ADVAX™ appears safe and well-tolerated in pregnant mares and young foals and induces protective levels of JEV neutralizing antibodies with partial cross-neutralization of MVEV and WNV_KUN.     

The challenges posed by equine arboviruses

Equine populations worldwide are at increasing risk of infection by viruses transmitted by biting arthropods, including mosquitoes, biting midges (Culicoides), sandflies and ticks. These include the flaviviruses (Japanese encephalitis, West Nile and Murray Valley encephalitis), alphaviruses (eastern, western and Venezuelan encephalitis) and the orbiviruses (African horse sickness and equine encephalosis). This review provides an overview of the challenges faced in the surveillance, prevention and control of the major equine arboviruses, particularly in the context of these viruses emerging in new regions of the world.     

Kunjin flaviviral encephalomyelitis in an Arabian gelding in New South Wales, Australia

Flaviviruses, including Kunjin virus, are arboviruses that cause encephalomyelitis in humans and horses. This case report describes an Arabian gelding exhibiting neurological signs of flavivirus encephalomyelitis, the diagnostic investigation and confirmation of an unreported case of Kunjin virus equine encephalomyelitis in Australia.     

FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON THE INCIDENCE OF BRUCELLOSIS IN DAIRY CATTLE IN VICTORIA

Random blood sampling of 8,448 dairy cattle in two Shires of Victoria revealed that 194 (4.5%) serums, from south-eastern Victoria and 147 (3.6%) serums from northern Victoria were positive to the International tube agglutination test for Br. Abortus . Of these reactions at least 82 (1.9%) and 56 (1.4%) of the serums indicated that these animals were or had been infected with Br. Abortus .
The results show that 65% and 73% of the herds in the two areas did not contain Br. Abortus infected cattle. Two factors influenced the incidence of infected animals in herds. First the incidence of infected animals decreased with increasing length of time during which herd re-placement calves had been vaccinated with Br. Abortus strain 19. Second, the introduction of mature previously calved cows increased the incidence of infected animals.
Some discussion is given to the usefulness of the revaccination of animals and the control of brucellosis in Victoria with is possible effect on cattle meat export markets.     

Recent origins among ancient parasites

Toxoplasma gondii is a wide spread protozoan parasite belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa. Members of this group of parasites cause economically and medically important diseases in a variety of animals, including humans. T. gondii is notable among this group for the fact that it readily infects virtually all warm-blooded vertebrates, while most apicomplexans are typically restricted in their host range. Individual strains of T. gondii are genetically quite similar and molecular studies indicate that the vast majority (>95%) of strains can be grouped into one of three distinct clonal lineages. Remarkably, these three lineages are comprised of different combinations of two parental alleles, indicating they arose from a single genetic cross. The unusual population structure of T. gondii originated within the last 10,000 years, while the genus itself is approximately 10 million years old. The remarkable success of the three lineages following their recent origin is likely attributable to a dramatic change in the life cycle that greatly facilitated transmission. Prior to the cross that gave rise to the clonal lineages, and in all closely related parasites, transmission occurred by an obligatory two-host life cycle that alternated between definitive (carnivorous) and intermediate (herbivorous) hosts. The reassortment of genes that occurred in the cross allowed direct oral transmission between many different intermediate hosts. These findings illustrate that complex biological life cycles can change rapidly and dramatically, thus presenting a constant source of new zoonotic infections.     

AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF OVINE FASCIOLIASIS (FASCIOLA HEPATICA) ON BOTH IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED PASTURES IN NORTHERN VICTORIA

Tracer sheep were used to determine the temporal distribution of acquisition of F. hepatica on both irrigated and non-irrigated areas an area of northern Victoria where this parasite is endemic, for the period November 1974 to November 1976.
Throughout the study, very few flukes were acquired on the non-irrigated experimental area, and of this small number most were acquired by sheep in late spring and early summer. Flukes were acquired throughout both experimental years on the irrigated experimental area. The intensity of infection was lowest in late winter and early spring, but acquisition was substantial when measured over a year, being 483.5 in the first year and 1234.6 flukes per sheep in the second year.
The productivity of these animals was lower than that of equivalent animals kept on an area free of fluke, but quantitative interpretation of this information is confounded by the effect of the presence of an area with atypically high moisture levels (the snail habitat) on pasture production in the area grazed by the infected animals. The differences recorded are therefore likely to be underestimates of the true difference.
A suitable treatment regimen for control of liver fluke in sheep in northern Victoria is outlined.     

Haemolytic Complement Activity and Humoral Immune Responses to Sheep Red Blood Cells in Indigenous Chickens and in Eight German Dahlem Red Chicken Lines with Different Combinations of Major Genes (dwarf,naked neck and frizzled) of Tropical Interest

A total of 376 chickens from different ecotypes were immunized with the non-pathogenic multi-determinant antigen sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The ecotypes included indigenous chickens from various locations in Tanzania (n=102), India (n=86) and Bolivia (n=89). In addition, eight German Dahlem Red (GDR) chicken lines with different major genes (dwarf, naked neck and frizzled) of tropical interest were also immunized with SRBC. Immune competence of the breeds was assessed by measuring complement haemolytic activity, both from the classical calcium-dependent complement pathway (CPW) and alternative calcium-independent complement pathway (APW), alongside IgTotal, IgG and IgM antibody responses to SRBC at 7 days post immunization. Large variations in complement activity and antibody responses to SRBC were observed within and between the indigenous breeds. Many indigenous chickens, especially from Bolivia, showed decreased complement activity (APW) following immunization with SRBC. Breeds from India showed the highest CPW activity and humoral (especially IgM) responses to SRBC, suggesting high immune competence. In contrast, Bolivian chickens were characterized by low CPW activity, low APW activity and low antibody levels to SRBC suggesting an overall low immune competence. In the GDR chickens, characterized by high CPW activity and high IgG antibody responses to SRBC, the major genes for naked neck, frizzling and dwarfism had no significant effect on the antibody responses and complement activity to SRBC.     

尼帕病毒研究进展

尼帕病毒(Nipah virus,NiV)是新近发现的引发脑部炎症或呼吸道疾病等重症的新型人畜共患病病毒,该病毒最初于1999年马来西亚尼帕镇的1名脑炎患者脑脊液中分离获得,至今已经历了数次大的流行,造成严重的经济损失和人员伤亡.该病毒可由动物传播给人,也可直接人与人传播,并且能够在猪等动物身上引起严重疾病,狐蝠科的果蝠是该病毒的天然宿主.NiV感染人后的病死率极高,并且目前还没有有效的疫苗和治疗措施,生物危害性极大,被列为生物安全4级病原(BSL4).笔者从NiV的分类及分型、基因和蛋白质组、流行和分布、疫苗研制、临床和病理变化以及实验室诊断技术等方面对NiV做简单的概述.     

中国升金湖水鸟系统监测方案:调查方法与初步结果

长江中下游湿地是中国东部最为重要的水鸟越冬地.由于长江中下游湿地面积与质量都发生了变化,迫切需要监测其越冬水鸟数量与分布的变化趋势,为有效开展保护计划奠定科学基础,以确保该区域水鸟的生存以及未来的种群恢复.然而,因统计质量受诸多因素影响,如何获得水鸟数量与分布的准确数据,同时确保这些数据可以在年度间和位点间进行比较,是非常复杂的.因此,建立一套有效的调查方法,最大程度地保证水鸟统计的精确性和准确性,并将统计产生的偏差最小化,是十分必要的.否则,调查结果准确性将受到影响,也无法用来进行比较分析.最近,我们探索建立了一套系统的水鸟调查方法,并于2008/2009年和2009/2010年冬在长江中下游的重要湿地升金湖开展了越冬水鸟调查,检验了该方法,取得了很好的结果.具体方法包括将湖泊划分为若干调查区域,每个调查区域又细分为若干亚区,区和亚区之间均有明确的分界线,最后分区域进行调查和记录.记录的数据包括物种数量、分布、环境和干扰情况等,记录的格式是统一的,以确保数据的准确性及尽可能地减少偏差.本文以这两年的冬季调查结果为例说明如何利用这些数据,获得水鸟数量、分布以及栖息地利用等详细信息.最后,讨论了在长江中下游湿地推广该方法、建立全流域水鸟监测项目的重要性.     

Toscana virus (TOSV) exposure is confirmed in blood donors from Central, North and South/Southeast Anatolia, Turkey

Toscana virus (TOSV), a sandfly fever virus serotype of medical and public health importance, is a major pathogen involved in aseptic meningtis occurring in Mediterranean countries and poses a threat to the residents as well as travellers. Limited data on TOSV activity are present from Turkey despite being located in the endemic zone. We aimed to identify TOSV exposure in 1115 healthy blood donors at the Hacettepe University Hospital Blood Bank in Ankara, Turkey, using commercial indirect fluorescence assays (IFAs) and virus neutralization test (VNT) for antibody detection and specificity confirmation. A total of 199 samples (17.8%) were positive for anti-TOSV that include IgG reactivity in 10.4%, IgM reactivity in 8.2% and IgM + IgG reactivity in 0.7% of the sera. Anti-TOSV specificity could be confirmed via VNT in 56% of the IgG- and 43.6% of the IgM-positive sera, making up a total of 58 samples (5.2%). Risk factors associated with TOSV IgG reactivity were male gender, residing in rural areas, frequent sighting of mosquitoes/sandflies and working outdoors. TOSV-specific antibody prevalence increased significantly with age. Evidence of exposure to other sandfly fever viruses was noted. These data reveal that mild or asymptomatic infections with TOSV are frequent in central and northern Anatolia. TOSV exposure has also been identified in residents of 9 provinces in southern/southeastern Anatolia for the first time.