The Balearic Blood Bank (BSTIB) has participated in an international study that has confirmed the first case of infection by the Usutu virus (USUV) detected in Spain, identified in a blood donor from Mallorca. The finding occurred in June 2024, when a sample tested reactive during routine testing for
The study, the results of which have been published in the scientific journal Transfusion, has also identified two additional cases in Catalonia. In all of them, confirmation was obtained by molecular biology and genomic sequencing techniques. The three donors resided in their autonomous community and had not traveled recently, a fact that demonstrates the local circulation of the virus in both the Balearic Islands and Catalonia.
The research has been developed by a multidisciplinary team with the participation of the Balearic Blood Bank, the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia, the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology-CReSA, the National Center for Microbiology of the Carlos III Health Institute and the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Germany.
The authors emphasize that the techniques routinely used for West Nile Virus screening in blood donations also allow detection of Usutu infections due to cross-reactivity between the two viruses, which facilitates early identification of infected donors and enhances transfusion safety.
The Usutu virus was first identified in Africa in 1959, but in recent decades it has shown an increasing spread in Europe. Most infections are asymptomatic, although they can affect immunocompromised individuals and can lead to neurological complications in rare cases.
