ArBo virus emerging infections in Italy

Key words: West Nile virus, Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, Usutu virus, Toscana virus, Tick-borne encephalitis

In Italy the number of cases of arthropod-borne (ArBo) viral infection has increased in the last ten years, with both sporadic imported cases and self-limiting small epidemic outbreaks. The ArBo viruses that are presently identified as autochthonous include West Nile, Usutu, Toscana and Tick-Borne Encephalitis viruses. Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika are of great interest as possible causes of imported diseases, since the circulation of these agents is presently limited to tropical and sub-tropical climate areas, even though two local epidemics of Chikungunya occurred in Italy in the last ten years. This review highlights some clinical, diagnostic and epidemiological features of the most commonly identified ArBo viral infections observed in Italy in the last ten years.