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Dive into the research topics where Tatjana Avšič Županc is active.

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Featured researches published by Tatjana Avšič Županc.


Emerging Infectious Diseases | 2012

Diagnostic Assays for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Jessica Vanhomwegen; Maria João Alves; Tatjana Avšič Županc; Silvia Bino; Sadegh Chinikar; Helen Karlberg; Gulay Korukluoglu; Miša Korva; Masoud Mardani; Ali Mirazimi; Mehrdad Mousavi; Anna Papa; Ana Saksida; Batool Sharifi-Mood; Persofoni Sidira; Katerina Tsergouli; Roman Wölfel; Hervé Zeller; Philippe Dubois

On-site testing would diminish time, costs, and risks involved in handling of highly infectious materials.


Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases | 2012

Multiple Co-infections of Rodents with Hantaviruses, Leptospira, and Babesia in Croatia

Ante Tadin; Nenad Turk; Miša Korva; Josip Margaletić; Relja Beck; Marko Vucelja; Josipa Habuš; Petra Svoboda; Tatjana Avšič Županc; Heikki Henttonen; Alemka Markotić

Hantaviruses, Leptospira spp., and Babesia spp. are rodent-borne pathogens present worldwide. We studied multiple co-infections of small rodents in Croatia with all three pathogens. Twenty-eight Apodemus flavicollis and 16 Myodes glareolus were tested for the presence of hantavirus RNA by real-time RT-PCR, Leptospira strains by renoculture method and Babesia DNA by PCR. Anti-hantavirus antibodies and anti-Leptospira antibodies were detected by serological methods. Very high infection rates with each pathogen were found in A. flavicollis: 20 of 28 rodents (71%) were infected with Dobrava virus, 13 rodents (46%) were infected with Leptospira, and 5 rodents (18%) were infected with Babesia. Multiple co-infections with all three pathogens were found in 3 of 28 (11%) A. flavicollis animals, suggesting that the same rodent host can be infected with several pathogens at the same time. Dual infections with both hantaviruses and Leptospira were found in 7 of 44 rodents (16%), with hantaviruses and Babesia in 2 rodents (5%), and double infection with both Leptospira and Babesia were found in 1 rodent (2%). Since hantaviruses, Leptospira, and Babesia have similar geographical distributions, it is to be expected that in other parts of the world multiple co-infections, representing a serious threat to public health, can be found.


Virus Research | 2014

HFRS and hantaviruses in the Balkans/South-East Europe.

Tatjana Avšič Županc; Miša Korva; Alemka Markotić

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is endemic in the Balkans with epidemic outbreaks and sporadic cases that have been recorded yearly since the disease was first recognized. The incidence of Balkan HFRS is modest, with approximately one hundred cases reported in most years. Seroepidemiological investigations conducted in several Balkan countries revealed an overall seroprevalence of 6% in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1.6% in Croatia, 4% in Greece and 1.7% in Slovenia, respectively. The complex ecology of the Balkan Peninsula supports the existence of diverse rodent and insectivore species which harbor several pathogenic and non-pathogenic hantaviruses. Among them only Dobrava (DOBV) and Puumala (PUUV) viruses are associated with disease in humans. Comprehensive clinical studies compared clinical signs and symptoms between patients infected with either virus. A spectrum of clinical picture of the disease ranges from mild illness typical of PUUV infections to a severe form with fulminant hemorrhagic fever and an overall mortality rate of 9.8% among DOBV infected patients. While severe DOBV cases are recognized from Slovenia in the North to Greece in the South, PUUV infections are more frequent in northern part of the area. Balkans represent an area with a potential need for hantavirus vaccines, but due to co-existence of DOBV and PUUV causing HFRS in the same region, a universal vaccine is required.


Virus Research | 2009

First molecular evidence of Tula hantavirus in Microtus voles in Slovenia.

Miša Korva; Darja Duh; Ajda Puterle; Tomi Trilar; Tatjana Avšič Županc

Different Microtus species, present in a worldwide range habitat populating North America, Europe, Asia, and few other species have been recognized previously as a hantavirus reservoir. Tula hantavirus was first reported in Microtus arvalis and Microtus rossiaemeridionalis from Central Russia and later discovered in several European countries. Using molecular techniques we have demonstrated the presence of Tula hantavirus in three different Microtus species in Slovenia. Phylogenetic analyses of partial S segment placed Slovenian strains in the same genetic lineage as Austrian and Croatian strains.


Virus Research | 2013

Molecular evidence and high genetic diversity of shrew-borne Seewis virus in Slovenia

Katarina Resman; Miša Korva; Luka Fajs; Tanja Zidarič; Tomi Trilar; Tatjana Avšič Županc

Seewis virus, the shrew-borne hantavirus from Sorex araneus, has been molecularly detected in reservoir hosts in many different central European countries and Russia. Slovenia is a known endemic country for rodent-borne hantaviruses, therefore the aim of the study was to investigate the presence of shrew-borne hantaviruses in insectivores. Viral L, S and M segment have been recovered only from tissue samples of 7 S. araneus, despite several shrew species were tested. Phylogenetic analysis showed high genetic diversity of SWSV in Slovenia, ranging from 3 to 19.4% for different viral segments. The most divergent were M segment sequences, with 19.4% nucleotide divergence among Slovenian strains. Above that, different SWSV strains from Slovenia do not group into separate geographic clusters. While three separate genetic clades were determined, two of them were simultaneously present in one location at the same time.


The Journal of Infectious Diseases | 2016

Analysis of Diagnostic Findings From the European Mobile Laboratory in Guéckédou, Guinea, March 2014 Through March 2015

Romy Kerber; Ralf Krumkamp; Boubacar Diallo; Anna Jaeger; Martin Rudolf; Simone Lanini; Joseph Akoi Bore; Fara Raymond Koundouno; Beate Becker-Ziaja; Erna Fleischmann; Kilian Stoecker; Silvia Meschi; Stéphane Mély; Edmund Newman; Fabrizio Carletti; Jasmine Portmann; Miša Korva; Svenja Wolff; Peter Molkenthin; Zoltan Kis; Anne Kelterbaum; Anne Bocquin; Thomas Strecker; Alexandra Fizet; Concetta Castilletti; Gordian Schudt; Lisa J. Ottowell; Andreas Kurth; Barry Atkinson; Marlis Badusche

Background. A unit of the European Mobile Laboratory (EMLab) consortium was deployed to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) treatment unit in Guéckédou, Guinea, from March 2014 through March 2015. Methods. The unit diagnosed EVD and malaria, using the RealStar Filovirus Screen reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) kit and a malaria rapid diagnostic test, respectively. Results. The cleaned EMLab database comprised 4719 samples from 2741 cases of suspected EVD from Guinea. EVD was diagnosed in 1231 of 2178 hospitalized patients (57%) and in 281 of 563 who died in the community (50%). Children aged <15 years had the highest proportion of Ebola virus–malaria parasite coinfections. The case-fatality ratio was high in patients aged <5 years (80%) and those aged >74 years (90%) and low in patients aged 10–19 years (40%). On admission, RT-PCR analysis of blood specimens from patients who died in the hospital yielded a lower median cycle threshold (Ct) than analysis of blood specimens from survivors (18.1 vs 23.2). Individuals who died in the community had a median Ct of 21.5 for throat swabs. Multivariate logistic regression on 1047 data sets revealed that low Ct values, ages of <5 and ≥45 years, and, among children aged 5–14 years, malaria parasite coinfection were independent determinants of a poor EVD outcome. Conclusions. Virus load, age, and malaria parasite coinfection play a role in the outcome of EVD.


Parasites & Vectors | 2010

Anaplasma phagocytophilum in ticks in Slovenia

Katja Strašek Smrdel; Mojca Serdt; Darja Duh; Nataša Knap; Tatjana Avšič Županc

Ticks act as vectors of many pathogens of domestic animals and humans. Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Europe is transmitted by the ixodid tick vector Ixodes ricinus. A. phagocytophilum causes a disease with diverse clinical signs in various hosts. A great genetic diversity of the groESL operon of A. phagocytophilum has been found in ticks elsewhere. In Slovenia, the variety of the groESL operon was conducted only on deer samples. In this study, the prevalence of infected ticks was estimated and the diversity of A. phagocytophilum was evaluated. On 8 locations in Slovenia, 1924 and 5049 (6973) I. ricinus ticks were collected from vegetation in the years 2005 and 2006, respectively. All three feeding stages of the ticks life cycle were examined. The prevalence of ticks infected with A. phagocytophilum in the year 2005 and in the year 2006 was 0.31% and 0.63%, respectively, and it did not differ considerably between locations. The similarity among the sequences of groESL ranged from 95.6% to 99.8%. They clustered in two genetic lineages along with A. phagocytophilum from Slovenian deer. One sequence formed a separate cluster. According to our study, the prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in ticks is comparable to the findings in other studies in Europe, and it does not vary considerably between locations and tick stages. According to groESL operon analysis, two genetic lineages have been confirmed and one proposed. Further studies on other genes would be useful to obtain more information on genetic diversity of A. phagocytophilum in ticks in Slovenia.


Viruses | 2013

Phylogeographic Diversity of Pathogenic and Non- Pathogenic Hantaviruses in Slovenia

Miša Korva; Nataša Knap; Katarina Resman Rus; Luka Fajs; Gašper Grubelnik; Matejka Bremec; Tea Knapič; Tomi Trilar; Tatjana Avšič Županc

Slovenia is a very diverse country from a natural geography point of view, with many different habitats within a relatively small area, in addition to major geological and climatic differences. It is therefore not surprising that several small mammal species have been confirmed to harbour hantaviruses: A. flavicollis (Dobrava virus), A. agrarius (Dobrava virus–Kurkino), M. glareolus (Puumala virus), S. areanus (Seewis virus), M. agrestis, M. arvalis and M. subterraneus (Tula virus). Three of the viruses, namely the Dobrava, Dobrava–Kurkino and Puumala viruses, cause disease in humans, with significant differences in the severity of symptoms. Due to changes in haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome cases (HFRS) epidemiology, a detailed study on phylogenetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of pathogenic and non-pathogenic hantaviruses circulating in ecologically diverse endemic regions was performed. The study presents one of the largest collections of hantavirus L, M and S sequences obtained from hosts and patients within a single country. Several genetic lineages were determined for each hantavirus species, with higher diversity among non-pathogenic compared to pathogenic viruses. For pathogenic hantaviruses, a significant geographic clustering of human- and rodent-derived sequences was confirmed. Several geographic and ecological factors were recognized as influencing and limiting the formation of endemic areas.


Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases | 2015

Diversity of ankA and msp4 genes of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Slovenia

Katja Strašek Smrdel; Friederike D. von Loewenich; Miroslav Petrovec; Tatjana Avšič Županc

Granulocytic anaplasmosis is a tick transmitted emerging disease in Europe and worldwide. The agent, Anaplasma phagocytophilum is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes and causes infections in humans and domestic animals. The analysis of different target genes showed that in nature several genetic variants of A. phagocytophilum were present. The purpose of our study was to genetically characterize A. phagocytophilum strains from eight humans, 16 dogs, 12 wild boars, one bear and 18 tick pools from Slovenia. Therefore, the ankA and msp4 genes of A. phagocytophilum were chosen. The same genetic ankA and msp4 variant of A. phagocytophilum was detected in humans, wild boar and a part of the pooled ticks indicating that it circulates in a zoonotic cycle between wild boar and ticks. In dogs, three ankA variants of A. phagocytophilum were detected. One of them was identical to the one that was found in humans. In contrast, all dogs harboured the same msp4 variant as humans and wild boar. In ticks, numerous ankA and msp4 variants were present.


Nature microbiology | 2018

A cynomolgus macaque model for Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever

Elaine Haddock; Friederike Feldmann; David W. Hawman; Marko Zivcec; Patrick W. Hanley; Greg Saturday; Dana P. Scott; Tina Thomas; Miša Korva; Tatjana Avšič Županc; David Safronetz; Heinz Feldmann

Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is the most medically significant tick-borne disease, being widespread in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe1. Increasing case numbers, westerly movement and broadly ranging case fatality rates substantiate the concern of CCHF as a public health threat. Ixodid ticks of the genus Hyalomma are the vector for CCHF virus (CCHFV), an arbovirus in the genus Orthonairovirus of the family Nairoviridae. CCHFV naturally infects numerous wild and domestic animals via tick bite without causing obvious disease2,3. Severe disease occurs only in humans and transmission usually happens through tick bite or contact with infected animals or humans. The only CCHF disease model is a subset of immunocompromised mice4–6. Here, we show that following CCHFV infection, cynomolgus macaques exhibited hallmark signs of human CCHF with remarkably similar viral dissemination, organ pathology and disease progression. Histopathology showed infection of hepatocytes, endothelial cells and monocytes and fatal outcome seemed associated with endothelial dysfunction manifesting in a clinical shock syndrome with coagulopathy. This non-human primate model will be an invaluable asset for CCHFV countermeasures development.This study describes the development of a primate model for Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever, the first immunocompetent animal model, which will be instrumental in developing and testing medical countermeasures for this serious disease.

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Miša Korva

University of Ljubljana

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Tomi Trilar

Slovenian Museum of Natural History

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Darja Duh

University of Ljubljana

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Luka Fajs

University of Ljubljana

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Nataša Knap

University of Ljubljana

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Ralf Krumkamp

Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

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