A faster extrinsic incubation period could explain Usutu leading West Nile in temperate Europe
Robert Stephen Paton, Maisie Vollans, Lorna Glenn, Martyn Fyles, Alexander G. C. Vaux, Jolyon M. Medlock, Julie Day, Thomas Ward
This paper estimates the temperature-dependent extrinsic incubation period (EIP) of Usutu virus in Culex pipiens molestus, showing it is shorter than West Nile virus, suggesting USUV could precede WNV in Europe.
bioRxiv · Apr 29, 2026 · PreprintEcology