The aim of this review is to follow the history of studies on endemiv arboviruses and the diseases they cause which were detected in the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (i.e., the Czech Republic)). The viruses involve tick-borne encephalitis, West Nile and Usutu flaviviruses; the Sindbis alphavirus; Ťahyňa, Batai, Lednice and Sedlec bunyaviruses; the Uukuniemi phlebovirus; and the Tribeč orbivirus. Arboviruses temporarily imported from abroad to the Czech Republic have been omitted. This brief historical review includes a bibliography of all relevant papers.

• Klíčová slova
• arthropods, birds, mammals, mosquitoes, ticks,
• MeSH
• arbovirové infekce dějiny   MeSH
• arboviry fyziologie   MeSH
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny 20. století MeSH
• dějiny 21. století MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH

The emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) in addition to the autochthonous tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in Europe causes rising concern for public and animal health. The first equine case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Austria was diagnosed in 2016. As a consequence, a cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted in 2017, including 348 equids from eastern Austria. Serum samples reactive by ELISA for either flavivirus immunoglobulin G or M were further analyzed with the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT-80) to identify the specific etiologic agent. Neutralizing antibody prevalences excluding vaccinated equids were found to be 5.3% for WNV, 15.5% for TBEV, 0% for USUV, and 1.2% for WNV from autochthonous origin. Additionally, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect WNV nucleic acid in horse sera and was found to be negative in all cases. Risk factor analysis did not identify any factors significantly associated with seropositivity.

• Klíčová slova
• Austria, Usutu virus, West Nile virus, epidemiology, flavivirus, horses, seroprevalence, tick-borne encephalitis virus,
• MeSH
• endemické nemoci veterinární   MeSH
• Equidae virologie   MeSH
• Flavivirus imunologie   MeSH
• infekce viry z rodu Flavivirus epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• klíšťová encefalitida epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• koně MeSH
• nemoci koní epidemiologie   MeSH
• protilátky virové krev   MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• séroepidemiologické studie MeSH
• virus západního Nilu imunologie   MeSH
• viry klíšťové encefalitidy imunologie   MeSH
• západonilská horečka epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Rakousko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• protilátky virové MeSH

We present epidemiological, clinical and laboratory findings of five Czech patients diagnosed with autochthonous mosquito-borne disease-four patients with confirmed West Nile virus (WNV) and one patient with Usutu virus (USUV) infections, from July to October 2018, including one fatal case due to WNV. This is the first documented human outbreak caused by WNV lineage 2 in the Czech Republic and the first record of a neuroinvasive human disease caused by USUV, which illustrates the simultaneous circulation of WNV and USUV in the country.

• Klíčová slova
• Usutu virus, West Nile virus, human, mosquito-borne infections,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

RNA of Kyzylagach virus (KYZV), a Sindbis-like mosquito-borne alphavirus from Western equine encephalitis virus complex, was detected in four pools (out of 221 pools examined), encompassing 10,784 female Culex modestus mosquitoes collected at a fishpond in south Moravia, Czech Republic, with a minimum infection rate of 0.04%. This alphavirus was never detected in Central Europe before.

• Klíčová slova
• Culex modestus, Sindbis, alphaviruses, arboviruses, mosquito, reedbeds,
• MeSH
• Culicidae virologie   MeSH
• infekce alfaviry přenos   virologie   MeSH
• komáří přenašeči virologie   MeSH
• virus Sindbis * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH

Usutu virus (USUV) is a flavivirus (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) of an African origin transmitted among its natural hosts (diverse species of birds) by mosquitoes. The virus was introduced multiple times to Europe where it caused mortality of blackbirds (Turdus merula) and certain other susceptible species of birds. In this study, we report detection of USUV RNA in blackbirds, Culex pipiens and Cx. modestus mosquitoes in the Czech Republic, and isolation of 10 new Czech USUV strains from carcasses of blackbirds in cell culture. Multiple lineages (Europe 1, 2 and Africa 3) of USUV were found in blackbirds and mosquitoes in the southeastern part of the country. A single USUV lineage (Europe 3) was found in Prague and was likely associated with increased mortalities in the local blackbird population seen in this area in 2018. USUV genomic RNA (lineage Europe 2) was detected in a pool of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes from South Bohemia (southern part of the country), where no major mortality of birds has been reported so far, and no flavivirus RNA has been found in randomly sampled cadavers of blackbirds. The obtained data contributes to our knowledge about USUV genetic variability, distribution and spread in Central Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• Culex spp., Usutu virus, blackbird, mosquito,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Monitoring West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) activity now has the highest priority among mosquito-borne pathogenic viruses circulating in the European Union. This study documents a first time detection and the co-circulation of WNV lineage-2 (with the minimal prevalence of 0.46%) and USUV clade Europe 2 (with the minimal prevalence of 0.25%) in mosquitoes from the same habitat of south-western Slovakia and underlines necessity to perform rigorous surveillance in birds, mosquitoes, horses and humans in that country.

• Klíčová slova
• Culex spp., Usutu virus, West Nile fever, West Nile virus, mosquitoes, surveillance,
• MeSH
• Culex virologie   MeSH
• Culicidae virologie   MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• Flavivirus genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• infekce viry z rodu Flavivirus epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• komáří přenašeči virologie   MeSH
• koně virologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• ptáci virologie   MeSH
• veřejné zdravotnictví MeSH
• virus západního Nilu genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• západonilská horečka epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Slovenská republika epidemiologie   MeSH

We report the distribution of mosquitoes of the maculipennis complex in two distinct areas of the Czech Republic (Bohemia and South Moravia) and in one locality of neighbouring Slovakia with emphasis on the detection of the newly described cryptic species Anopheles daciae (Linton, Nicolescu & Harbach, 2004). A total of 691 mosquitoes were analysed using a species-specific multiplex PCR assay to differentiate between the members of the maculipennis complex. In the Czech Republic, we found Anopheles maculipennis (with a prevalence rate of 1.4%), Anopheles messeae (49.0%) and Anopheles daciae (49.6%). In Slovakia, only An. messeae (52.1%) and An. daciae (47.9%) were detected. In this study, An. daciae was documented for the first time in the two countries where it represented a markedly higher proportion of maculipennis complex species (with an overall prevalence almost reaching 50%) in comparison to previous reports from Germany, Romania and Poland. The determination of the differential distribution of maculipennis complex species will contribute to assessing risks of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria or dirofilariasis.

• Klíčová slova
• Anopheles daciae, Anophelinae, Cryptic species, Maculipennis complex, Mosquitoes, Vector-borne diseases,
• MeSH
• Anopheles parazitologie   MeSH
• Culicidae parazitologie   MeSH
• dirofilarióza epidemiologie   parazitologie   přenos   MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• hmyz - vektory parazitologie   MeSH
• malárie epidemiologie   parazitologie   přenos   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Slovenská republika epidemiologie   MeSH

BACKGROUND: West Nile virus (WNV) is currently the most important mosquito-borne pathogen spreading in Europe. Data on overwintering of WNV in mosquitoes are crucial for understanding WNV circulation in Europe; nonetheless, such data were not available so far. RESULTS: A total of 28,287 hibernating mosquitoes [27,872 Culex pipiens, 73 Anopheles maculipennis (sensu lato), and 342 Culiseta annulata], caught in February or March between 2011 and 2017 in a WNV-endemic region of South Moravia, Czech Republic, were screened for the presence of WNV RNA. No WNV positive pools were found from 2011 to 2016, while lineage 2 WNV RNA was detected in three pools of Culex pipens mosquitoes collected in 2017 at two study sites. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first record of WNV RNA in overwintering mosquitoes in Europe. The data support the hypothesis of WNV persistence in mosquitoes throughout the winter season in Europe.

• Klíčová slova
• Anopheles maculipennis, Culex pipiens, Culiseta annulata, Czech Republic, Flavivirus, Hibernation, Overwintering, West Nile fever, West Nile virus,
• MeSH
• Culicidae virologie   MeSH
• hmyz - vektory virologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• virus západního Nilu genetika   izolace a purifikace   fyziologie   MeSH
• západonilská horečka epidemiologie   přenos   virologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH