Identification of Usutu virus in blood donors as part of molecular screening for West Nile virus, France, 2023.

@article{gallian2026identification,
  title = {{Identification of Usutu virus in blood donors as part of molecular screening for West Nile virus, France, 2023.}},
  author = {Pierre Gallian and Gilda Grard and Sophie Le Cam and Raphaelle Klitting and Marlène Guillet and Valérie Barlet and Marjorie Lacoste and Céline Ricard and Nadège Brisbarre and Christine Isnard and Laura Pezzi and Nazli Ayhan and Géraldine Piorkowski and Rayane Amaral and Thierry Peyrard and Marie Claire Paty and Florian Franke and Syria Laperche and Guillaume André Durand and Xavier de Lamballerie},
  journal = {Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.43.2600044},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960467},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Identification of Usutu virus in blood donors as part of molecular screening for West Nile virus, France, 2023.
AU  - Pierre Gallian
AU  - Gilda Grard
AU  - Sophie Le Cam
AU  - Raphaelle Klitting
AU  - Marlène Guillet
AU  - Valérie Barlet
AU  - Marjorie Lacoste
AU  - Céline Ricard
AU  - Nadège Brisbarre
AU  - Christine Isnard
AU  - Laura Pezzi
AU  - Nazli Ayhan
AU  - Géraldine Piorkowski
AU  - Rayane Amaral
AU  - Thierry Peyrard
AU  - Marie Claire Paty
AU  - Florian Franke
AU  - Syria Laperche
AU  - Guillaume André Durand
AU  - Xavier de Lamballerie
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin
DO  - 10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.43.2600044
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960467
AB  - BACKGROUNDWest Nile Virus (WNV) can be transmitted via blood transfusion and lead to neuroinvasive forms in recipients of blood products.AIMWe aimed to investigate WNV and Usutu virus (USUV) infections among blood donors in France.METHODSBlood donations in 18 of 96 departments of metropolitan France and from travellers returning from affected areas were screened prospectively for WNV using a commercial nucleic acid test (NAT). In addition, stored samples from blood donations in the affected departments were retrospectively tested with RT-qPCR. Differentiation between WNV and USUV infections in NAT-positive samples was done with a RT-qPCR or by seroneutralisation after seroconversion.RESULTSBetween 18 July and 1 December 2023, 34 (0.018%) of 185,965 blood donation samples were initially positive for WNV. After investigations, 20 donors with USUV infections (16 confirmed, four probable) and five with WNV infections (three confirmed, two probable) were identified. In samples from four donors, WNV and USUV could not be differentiated, and five samples remained indeterminate. Seventeen USUV infections were considered autochthonous: nine departments in the southern and central parts of France, including two departments where WNV was also detected. Infections with USUV were detected between 21 July and 17 October and WNV between 23 August and 20 September.CONCLUSIONVia screening of blood donations, we could identify the circulation of USUV in 2023 in large parts of metropolitan France. A One Health approach is required to better understand the determinants of USUV circulation in France and the clinical consequences of USUV infections in humans.
SN  - 1025-496X
SN  - 1560-7917
ER  -