Coding-complete genome of an Aedes flavivirus strain isolated from Aedes albopictus collected in Northern Italy

Aedes flavivirus (AEFV) is an insect flavivirus originally discovered from Aedes albopictus mosquitoes in Japan. AEFV is currently detected in mosquitoes from various geographical regions, but the complete genome data is scarce, thus hampering phylogenetic analyses. We isolated a strain of AEFV from Ae. albopictus collected in Northern Italy. The sequence analysis suggests this AEFV strain, unlike previous sequences from Italy, clusters closely with strains from Turkey, Switzerland, USA, and Brazil. These results demonstrate genetic diversity of AEFV in Italy and raise questions about possible links between AEFV distribution and Ae. albopictus spreading.