ABSTRACT
To date, eight phleboviruses have been identied from human clinical samples [SFNV, Sandy Sicilian virus (SFSV), TOSV, Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), Alenquer virus, Candiru virus, Punta Toro virus, and Chagres virus], and there is serologic evidence of infection in humans and animals with other members of the genus, although the impact of these infections remains unknown [9,10]. Transmission of phleboviruses occurs through the bite of dipteral belonging to three genera, Phlebotomus, Sergentomyia, and Lutzomyia [11-14]. Phlebotomus spp. are the vectors in countries from the Old World, and the disease that phleboviruses produce in this area is associated with rural, arid, and agricultural environments. Lutzomyia spp. are the vectors for transmission of phleboviruses in America. Other phleboviruses constitute an exception within the genus, as occurs with Uukuniemi virus, which is transmitted by ticks from the species Ixodes ricinus [15], and RVFV, which is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes [16].
