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West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus endemic in Africa, the Middle East, and in South-western Asia. The virus is a member of the Japanese encephalitis serocomplex, containing a plus-strand ssRNA genome of about 11,000 bases. Natural hosts of the virus are reported to be mammals and also birds, and infections can be transmitted through mosquitoes [1]. Human infections are usually mild or sub-clinical, but during two recent epidemics in Russia and North America several mortal cases of encephalitis occurred [2]. Serological tests do not differentiate between WNV and related members of the same serocomplex, and virus isolation in cell culture followed by immunofluorescence-based identification takes about 1 week. Diagnostic assays based on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the virus genome allow a quicker analysis [3–5]. Immediate pathogen identification in cases of encephalitis of unknown origin can help to prevent future epidemics. |
