Infectious Disease · Public Health · 2 h ago
Usutu virus detected in French blood donors during West Nile screening
A prospective and retrospective screening study examined 185,965 blood donation samples in France in 2023. Investigations identified 20 donors with Usutu virus (USUV) infection and five with West Nile virus (WNV) infection, alongside samples in which the viruses could not be distinguished or results remained indeterminate.
- Twenty USUV infections identified among screened donors.
- Five donors had WNV infections.
- Seventeen USUV infections were considered locally acquired.
- Some samples remained indeterminate or could not distinguish viruses.
WNV can be transmitted through blood transfusion and cause neuroinvasive disease in recipients. Researchers investigated WNV and USUV in blood donors in France. Donations from 18 of 96 departments in metropolitan France, as well as donations from travellers returning from affected areas, were prospectively screened for WNV using a commercial nucleic acid test. Stored samples from affected departments were also tested retrospectively, and positive results were investigated using RT-qPCR or seroneutralisation.
Between 18 July and 1 December 2023, 34 of 185,965 samples (0.018%) initially tested positive for WNV. Further investigation identified 20 donors with USUV infection—16 confirmed and four probable—and five with WNV infection—three confirmed and two probable. Four donors’ infections could not be differentiated between the viruses, and five samples remained indeterminate. Seventeen USUV infections were considered autochthonous, spanning nine departments in southern and central France. USUV detections occurred from 21 July to 17 October; WNV detections occurred from 23 August to 20 September.
The findings indicate that blood-donation screening detected USUV circulation across a substantial area of metropolitan France in 2023. The authors call for a One Health approach to investigate its circulation and human clinical consequences. The study does not establish the clinical consequences of these donor infections or propose changes to screening practice.
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Eurosurveillance: Identification of Usutu virus in blood donors as part of molecular screening for West Nile virus, France, 2023 ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.