20.500.12556/RUP-22605 Detection and characterization of Sindbis virus genotype IV in mosquitoes from Slovenia Mosquitoes play a crucial role as vectors of disease pathogens and are among the most socioeconomically important animals in the world. Medically important arboviruses include the Sindbis virus (SINV), which causes chills, skin rashes, and joint pain. Endemic in northern Europe, SINV has been increasingly detected in central Europe. The main objectives of this study were to monitor and screen mosquitoes for the presence of SINV. We included samples of mosquitoes collected throughout the years at different locations in Slovenia. The mosquitoes were first identified and then pooled according to species, sex, date of sampling, and location. Nucleic acid (NA) was isolated from these pools, and the target segment of the SINV genome was amplified using molecular methods. We performed detailed phylogenetic analyses of the SINV-positive mosquito pools. From 2020 to 2024, we monitored mosquitoes at 226 locations in Slovenia and collected 112,001 samples, which were identified and grouped into 11,595 pools. Using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we found SINV RNA in five pools of Culex modestus mosquitoes collected in two regions of northeastern Slovenia in August 2022 and in July, August, and September 2024. The SINV discovered in Slovenia (SINV-SLO) was classified as Genotype IV. We designed a primer scheme for the whole-genome amplification of SINV based on the alignment of the available SINV-IV sequences and performed molecular characterization of the sequences. Our findings revealed that SINV-SLO is closely related to the SINV strains identified in Russia, Azerbaijan, and China. In Europe, it is Genotype I that is most frequently detected and causes epidemics, whereas Genotype IV, which was detected in Slovenia, has not yet been associated with disease outbreaks. arboviruses Genotype IV mosquitoes NGS phylogenetic analysis Sindbis virus arbovirusi genotip IV komarji NGS filogenetska analiza virus Sindbis true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-02-03 12:35:01 2026-02-03 12:35:04 2026-02-06 03:03:49 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-8 iss. 1, [article no.] 6371337 Vol. 2026 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-01-20 595.771.1:578 1865-1682 10.1155/tbed/6371337 267139331 RAZ_Pozvek_Patricija_2026.pdf RAZ_Pozvek_Patricija_2026.pdf 1 6A81B7BBD7B7AC155A6FE8742F12FA5F 824f27377ccc40edce36c91143d7c5316668a6256d92f69b48b79735ac06516e 9e8bcf2f-00f4-11f1-b092-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=32890 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/tbed/6371337 1 6aa0035a-00f4-11f1-b092-005056ac49c0 https://repozitorij.upr.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=32889 Fakulteta za matematiko, naravoslovje in informacijske tehnologije 0 0 0