Sand Fly-Borne Phleboviruses

Dear Colleagues,

New phleboviruses (genus Phlebovirus, family Phenuiviridae) are increasingly isolated, or simply detected, in sand flies in recent years. Despite the number of new isolated viruses, several features of this group remain enigmatic. Their cycle is often unresolved, some are descried only in sand flies, and an association with one or more vertebrate hosts is not well defined, as are their persistence mechanism in the environment.

Some of the sand fly-borne phleboviruses are pathogenic for humans, causing a self-limiting febrile illness and occasionally meningitis, but this ability is little characterized for the large part. The wide variation among different strains can be partially ascribed to their ability to reassort, which is not yet well defined. A variety of different sand fly phleboviruses can circulate in the same place, providing the chance to reassort, a phenomenon that can have an important effect on the pathogenicity of these viruses.

This Special Issue aims to summarize the new available knowledge on sand fly-borne phleboviruses, reporting newly discovered viruses or their detection in the reported geographic range, describing their ecology, mechanism of evolution and interaction with potential hosts, and, in particular, the characterization of their pathogenic potential for human and animals.  

Sub-topics of the Special Issue:

Dr. Mattia Calzolari
Prof. Dr. Charles Calisher
Guest Editors

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