Detection and Isolation of Sindbis Virus from Field Collected Mosquitoes in Timimoun, Algeria

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 14; no. 5; p. 894
• Main Authors: Ayhan, Nazli, Hachid, Aissam, Thirion, Laurence, Benallal, Kamel Eddine, Pezzi, Laura, Khardine, Fayez Ahmed, Benbetka, Chahrazed, Benbetka, Sihem, Harrat, Zoubir, Charrel, Remi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 25.04.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: alphavirus; arbovirus; Birds; Cell culture; Communication; Culex perexiguus; Culex pipiens; Culicidae; Epidemics; Genomes; Genomics; Males; Morphology; Mosquitoes; Phylogeny; Public health; Serology; Sindbis virus; Togaviridae; Viruses; Whole genome sequencing; Zoonoses; Sweden; United States > US; Europe; Africa; Finland; South Africa; Algeria; Australia; Germany; Russia; Culex perexiguus; Togaviridae; Culex pipiens; Algeria; alphavirus; Sindbis virus; arbovirus
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v14050894

Sindbis virus (SINV) is a zoonotic alphavirus (family , genus ) that causes human diseases in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Occasionally, SINV outbreaks were reported in South Africa and northern Europe. Birds are the main amplifying hosts of SINV, while mosquitoes play the role of the primary vector. mosquitoes were collected in Algeria and subsequently tested for SINV. SINV RNA was detected in 10 pools out of 40, from a total of 922 mosquitoes tested. A strain of SINV was isolated from a pool displaying high viral load. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the SINV Algeria isolate was most closely related to a Kenyan strain. This was the first record of SINV in Algeria and more broadly in northwestern Africa, which can be a potential risk for human health in the circulating area. Further studies are needed to measure the impact on public health through seroprevalence studies in Algeria.