[Tick-transmitted arbovirus in Maghreb].

The problem of arbovirus infections in Maghreb has been relatively neglected in the pst in spite of a rich diversity of biotopes, the presence of potential reservoirs and vectors, and their position on the flight path of the Palearctic-african bird migration systems, western branch. Moreover, West Nile virus has been isolated from southern Algeria since 1968. From 1979 to 1989, ticks were collected from wild birds, pigeons, bats, rodents, poultry, camels, wild boars, domestic mammals and man, and assayed for viruses.

Essaouira and Kala iris: two new orbiviruses of the Kemerovo serogroup, Chenuda complex, isolated from Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) maritimus ticks in Morocco.

Essaouira and Kala Iris viruses were isolated from Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) maritimus ticks parasitizing yellow-legged gulls (Larus cachinnans) on the coast of Morocco in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Serological evidence indicates that these two viruses are new members of the Chenuda complex within the Kemerovo serogroup of the genus Orbivirus. Ecological, pathological, morphological, and physicochemical properties are compatible with these findings.

[Arbovirus infections in Morocco: serosurvey in small wild mammals in the northern part of the country].

Sera of 128 small wild mammals (rodents, insectivora) trapped in Northern Morocco in March 1979, were studied for antibody against 15 arboviruses. In inhibition-haemagglutination tests, positive reactions were found against West Nile (0.8%), Tahyna (21 %), Arumowot (14 %) and Sicilian Sandfly fever (9.

[Natural pathogenicity for man of an antigenic variant of Soldado virus from Morocco (author's transl)].

Pathogenicity of Soldado virus was clearly established in the past for seabirds but remained questionable for man. In a scientist, repeatedly bitten by Ornithodoros (A.) maritimus larvae at Essaouira (Morocco), the association of fever of unknown origin and of neutralizing antibody against an antigenic variant of Soldado virus isolated from the same place, lead to the conclusion that this virus may act as a pathogen for man.

[Presence of adiaspores of Emmonsia crescens Emmons and Jellison, 1960, a moniliaceous, aleurioid fungus, in the lungs of small wild mammals in northern Morocco].

The authors examine the lungs of 133 small mammals caught in the North of Morocco and belonging to 7 species: 12,8% of the animals (14/95 A. sylvaticus, 1/18 M. spretus and 2/11 C.