A total of 264 sera from humans in a Southern ltalia region (Calabria) was examined by the hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for antibodies against 11 arboviruses: two from group A, four from group B, two from Bunyamwera supergroup, two from Phlebotomus fever group, and Bhanja. About 5% of the sera reacted with one or more antigens: 1.9% to WN, 3.3% to Napolitan Phlebotomus fever and 1,9% to Bhanja. No evidence was found of immunity to Tahyna virus.
Sera fronx 210 goats, collected in the same araa, were examined by the HI test gainst 5 arboviruses: two of group A, two of group B and Bhanja. 1.4% of the sera reacted with Sindbis, 1.9% with WN, and 62,3% with Bhanja.
A few sera from chicken and bats were also examined: two chicken sera showed evidence of an immunological response to group A arboviruses.
Ten sentinel goats were introduced in May, 1969, in a Bhanja focus zone. Seroconversion to positivity against Bhanja virus occurred beetween September and November, 1969, in six ot them. No virus was isolate from their blood in this period. However, viremia was not detected even after experimental infection.
11 insectivores, 62 rodents and 92 bats were captured in order to identify the reservoir mammals and to establish their distribution in the area.
320 ticks (Haemaphysalis punctata, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rh. burtsa and Hyalomma marginatum) were collected on sentinel goats and processed for virus isolation attempts: no virus was recovered.