Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41317137›Full record

ArticleZoonoses and public health2026

Molecular Screening of Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) for Vector-Borne Zoonotic Pathogens, South Moravia, Czech Republic.

Silvie Šikutová, Kristína Mravcová, Jan Mendel, Oldřich Šebesta, Bohumil Sak, Nikola Holubová, Martin Kváč, Clifton McKee, Peter H Adler, D Otranto and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Zoonoses and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Geographical Distribution and Molecular Characterization ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
  2. Genetic uniformity and occurrence ofParasite epidemiology and control · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Silvie ŠikutováInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
Kristína MravcováInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
Jan MendelInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
Oldřich ŠebestaInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
Bohumil SakBiology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Nikola HolubováBiology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Martin KváčBiology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Clifton McKeeDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6149-0598
Peter H AdlerDepartment of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6772-8280
D OtrantoDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7518-476X
Ivo RudolfInstitute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6602-2905

Funding

Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky NU21-05-00143
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionBlack flies (Simuliidae) are globally distributed blood-feeding arthropods and vectors of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens to many animal species, including humans. We investigated the occurrence of selected vector-borne pathogens in black flies in South Moravia, Czech Republic, and evaluated their possible role in the circulation of vector-borne pathogens.

methodsA total of 11,600 black flies comprising four species of the genus Simulium, namely Simulium (Boophthora) erythrocephalum (De Geer, 1776), Simulium (Wilhelmia) lineatum (Meigen, 1804), Simulium (Wilhelmia) balcanicum (Enderlein, 1924), and Simulium (Wilhelmia) turgaicum (Rubtsov, 1940) were pooled and screened for the following arthropod-borne pathogens and parasites endemic in Central Europe: viruses (alphaviruses, bunyaviruses and flaviviruses), bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis, Coxiella burnetii, and Brucella spp.), protista (Babesia spp., Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon spp.) and filaria (Dirofilaria spp., Setaria spp., and Onchocerca spp.).

resultsAlmost all pools were negative for known arthropod-borne pathogens and parasites. However, four new Bartonella spp. variants were found that share similarity with other bartonellae reported from diverse arthropods and humans. The phylogenetic analysis of Bartonella sequences from Czech black flies provides further evidence about an expanding diversity of Bartonella lineages in arthropods globally, including hematophagous species (e.g., ticks, mosquitoes, and biting flies) and non-hematophagous species (e.g., bees and ants). These bartonellae have the potential to cause pathogenic infections in humans who are exposed to arthropods carrying these bacteria.

conclusionsSumming up, this study provides for the very first time valuable data for characterising the risk to public and veterinary health from black flies and the infections they may carry in Europe. Further testing, however, should include a wider geographic, seasonal, and taxonomic range of black flies.

Indexed as

BacteriaInsect VectorsSimuliidaeAnimalsCzech RepublicHumansVirusesZoonosesarthropod‐borneblack fliespublic healthSimuliidaevector‐borne pathogensvectors

Identifiers

PMID41317137
PMCPMC12765963

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.