Emerging orthobunyaviruses associated with CNS disease

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Neuroscience
• Public Health

Background:

• Orthobunyavirus genus viruses are arthropod-borne and globally prevalent.
• These viruses are commonly linked to central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans and animals.
• Emerging orthobunyaviruses pose a growing threat, necessitating a comprehensive overview for One Health considerations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of orthobunyaviruses associated with CNS disease in vertebrates.
• To objectively evaluate the causality strength of each identified orthobunyavirus.
• To establish a framework for assessing newly emerging orthobunyaviruses.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to identify orthobunyaviruses associated with CNS disease.
• Phylogenetic analysis to understand the distribution of CNS disease-associated viruses.
• Development and application of six causality indicators to score identified viruses.

Main Results:

• 27 orthobunyaviruses were identified as associated with CNS disease.
• Nine viruses showed 'strong' causality, eight 'moderate', and ten 'weak'.
• Seven viruses affected multiple host species, including humans; seven caused both congenital and postnatal CNS disease.

Conclusions:

• Orthobunyaviruses demonstrate a propensity to infect the vertebrate CNS.
• There is a critical need for more case-control studies to establish causality.
• This overview aids in identifying causal agents and guiding future research on emerging viruses.