In the study, we screened a total of 399 adult sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus) for the presence of RNA and DNA specific for arboviral, bacterial, and protozoan vector-borne pathogens. All investigated keds were negative for flaviviruses, phleboviruses, bunyaviruses, Borrelia burgdorferi, Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, "Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis," and Babesia spp. All ked pools were positive for Bartonella DNA. The sequencing of the amplified fragments of the gltA and 16S-23S rRNA demonstrated a 100 % homology with Bartonella melophagi previously isolated from a sheep ked and from human blood in the USA. The identification of B. melophagi in sheep keds in Central Europe highlights needs extending a list of hematophagous arthropods beyond ticks and mosquitoes for a search of emerging arthropod-borne pathogens.

• Keywords
• Arboviruses, Babesia spp., Bartonella melophagi, Borrelia burgdorferi, Melophagus ovinus, Rickettsiae,
• MeSH
• Anaplasma phagocytophilum genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Anaplasmataceae genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Arboviruses genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Babesia genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Bartonella genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Diptera microbiology   MeSH
• Sheep Diseases epidemiology   microbiology   MeSH
• Sheep MeSH
• Surveys and Questionnaires MeSH
• Rickettsia genetics   isolation & purification   MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, DNA veterinary   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic epidemiology   MeSH

The aim of this review is to present briefly background information on 27 tick-borne viruses ("tiboviruses") that have been detected in Europe, viz flaviviruses tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV), louping-ill (LIV), Tyuleniy (TYUV), and Meaban (MEAV); orthobunyaviruses Bahig (BAHV) and Matruh (MTRV); phleboviruses Grand Arbaud (GAV), Ponteves (PTVV), Uukuniemi (UUKV), Zaliv Terpeniya (ZTV), and St. Abb's Head (SAHV); nairoviruses Soldado (SOLV), Puffin Island (PIV), Avalon (AVAV), Clo Mor (CMV), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHFV); bunyavirus Bhanja (BHAV); coltivirus Eyach (EYAV); orbiviruses Tribec (TRBV), Okhotskiy (OKHV), Cape Wrath (CWV), Mykines (MYKV), Tindholmur (TDMV), and Bauline (BAUV); two thogotoviruses (Thogoto THOV, Dhori DHOV); and one asfivirus (African swine fever virus ASFV). Emphasis is laid on the taxonomic status of these viruses, range of their ixodid or argasid vectors and vertebrate hosts, pathogenicity for vertebrates including humans, and relevance to public health. In general, three groups of tibovirus diseases can be recognized according to main clinical symptoms produced: (i) febrile illness-usually with a rapid onset, fever, sweating, headache, nausea, weakness, myalgia, arthralgia, sometimes polyarthritis and rash; (ii) the CNS affection-meningitis, meningoencephalitis or encephalomyelitis with pareses, paralysis and other sequelae; (iii) hemorrhagic disease. Several "European" tiboviruses cause very serious human (TBEV, CCHFV) or animal (LIV, ASFV) diseases. Other arboviruses play definite role in human or animal pathology though the disease is usually either less serious or infrequently reported (TYUV, BHAV, AVAV, EYAV, TRBV, DHOV, THOV). The other European arboviruses are "orphans" without a proven medical or veterinary significance (BAHV, MTRV, MEAV, GAV, PTVV, ZTV, SAHV, UUKV, SOLV, PIV, AVAV, CMV, OKHV, CWV, MYKV, TDMV, BAUV). However, certain arbovirus diseases of free-living vertebrates (but also those of domestic animals and even man) may often pass unnoticed or misdiagnosed and eventually, they might potentially appear as emerging diseases. Active search for new tiboviruses or for new, pathogenic variants of the known tiboviruses in Europe should therefore continue.

• MeSH
• Disease Vectors MeSH
• Ticks virology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Tick-Borne Diseases virology   MeSH
• Virus Diseases virology   MeSH
• Viruses classification   isolation & purification   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Geographicals
• Europe MeSH

One strain of Bhanja virus was isolated from Dermacentor marginatus male ticks collected from sheep in Slovak Karst, eastern Czechoslovakia (48 degrees 31'N, 20 degrees 28'E). In addition, three strains of Brezová virus (subtype of Tribec orbivirus, Reoviridae) were isolated from Ixodes ricinus ticks. The result represents the northernmost isolation of Bhanja virus and, moreover, its first recovery from D. marginatus in Europe. Cross-neutralization plaque reduction test revealed antigenic similarity of the Czechoslovak strain to the south-European isolates of Bhanja virus, but a more distant relationship to virus strains isolated in Africa and Asia.

• MeSH
• Bunyaviridae immunology   isolation & purification   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral MeSH
• Diptera microbiology   MeSH
• Bunyaviridae Infections transmission   MeSH
• Ticks microbiology   MeSH
• Micropore Filters MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Neutralization Tests MeSH
• Vero Cells MeSH
• Insect Viruses immunology   isolation & purification   pathogenicity   MeSH
• Cross Reactions MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Male MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czechoslovakia MeSH