Seroprevalence of Toscana and sandfly fever Sicilian viruses in humans and livestock animals from western Saudi Arabia
Sarah Ayman Al-numaani,
Alaa Talat Al-Nemari,
Sherif A. El-Kafrawy,
Ahmed M. Hassan,
Ahmed M. Tolah,
Maimonah Alghanmi,
Ayat Zawawi,
Badr Essa Masri,
Salwa I. Hindawi,
Thamir A. Alandijany,
Leena H. Bajrai,
Abdullah Bukhari,
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud,
Waleed S. Al Salem,
Abdullah Algaissi,
Remi N. Charrel,
Esam I. Azhar,
Anwar M. Hashem
Affiliations
Sarah Ayman Al-numaani
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Alaa Talat Al-Nemari
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Sherif A. El-Kafrawy
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed M. Hassan
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed M. Tolah
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
Maimonah Alghanmi
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Ayat Zawawi
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Badr Essa Masri
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Salwa I. Hindawi
Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Thamir A. Alandijany
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Leena H. Bajrai
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah Bukhari
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Bakur Mahmoud
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Almadinah Almunwarah, Saudi Arabia
Waleed S. Al Salem
Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Algaissi
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia; Emerging and Epidemic Infectious Diseases Research Unit, Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Remi N. Charrel
Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM 1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Marseille, France
Esam I. Azhar
Special Infectious Agents Unit- BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Correspondence to: E. I Azhar, Special Infectious Agents Unit -BSL3, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Anwar M. Hashem
Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Correspondence to: A. M Hashem, Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
High seroprevalence rates of several phleboviruses have been reported in domestic animals and humans in sandfly-infested regions. Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and Toscana virus (TOSV) are two of these viruses commonly transmitted by Phlebotomus sandflies. While SFSV can cause rapidly resolving mild febrile illness, TOSV could involve the central nervous system (CNS), causing diseases ranging from aseptic meningitis to meningoencephalitis. Sandfly-associated phleboviruses have not been investigated before in Saudi Arabia and are potential causes of infection given the prevalence of sandflies in the country. Here, we investigated the seroprevalence of SFSV and TOSV in the western region of Saudi Arabia in samples collected from blood donors, livestock animals, and animal handlers. An overall seroprevalence of 9.4% and 0.8% was found in humans for SFSV and TOSV, respectively. Seropositivity was significantly higher in non-Saudis compared to Saudis and increased significantly with age especially for SFSV. The highest seropositivity rate was among samples collected from animal handlers. Specifically, in blood donors, 6.4% and 0.7% tested positive for SFSV and TOSV nAbs, respectively. Animal handlers showed higher seroprevalence rates of 16% and 1% for anti-SFSV and anti-TOSV nAbs, respectively, suggesting that contact with livestock animals could be a risk factor. Indeed, sera from livestock animals showed seropositivity of 53.3% and 4.4% in cows, 27.5% and 7.8% in sheep, 2.2% and 0.0% in goats, and 10.0% and 2.3% in camels for SFSV and TOSV, respectively. Together, these results suggest that both SFSV and TOSV are circulating in the western region of Saudi Arabia in humans and livestock animals, albeit at different rates, and that age and contact with livestock animals could represent risk factors for infection with these viruses.
