Serological and molecular investigation into the role of wild birds in the epidemiology of West Nile virus in Greece
| Autor: | Labrini V. Athanasiou, Christos Iacovakis, Liljana Petrovska, Periklis Birtsas, Zisis Dalabiras, Charalambos Billinis, Vassiliki Spyrou, Alexios Giannakopoulos, George Valiakos, Antonia Touloudi |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Genes Viral West Nile virus viruses 030231 tropical medicine Molecular Sequence Data Short Report Biology medicine.disease_cause Antibodies Viral Serology Disease Outbreaks Wild birds lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Virology Epidemiology medicine Animals lcsh:RC109-216 Serotyping Phylogeny 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences Molecular epidemiology Greece Bird Diseases Outbreak virus diseases West nile virus Antibodies Neutralizing Infectious Diseases Serological surveillance West Nile Fever |
| Zdroj: | Virology Journal, Vol 9, Iss 1, p 266 (2012) Virology Journal |
| Popis: | Background A West Nile virus (WNV) disease outbreak occurred in 2010 in northern Greece with a total of 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases and 35 deaths. A serological and molecular surveillance was conducted on samples of hunter-harvested wild birds prior to and during the outbreak. Findings Serum and tissue samples from 295 resident and migratory wild birds, hunter-harvested during the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 hunting seasons at the epicenter of the outbreak in northern Greece, were tested for the presence of WNV-specific antibodies by immunofluorescence assay and virus neutralization test. WNV neutralizing antibodies were detected in 53 avian samples. Fourteen positive sera were obtained from birds hunter-harvested up to 8 months prior to the human outbreak. Specific genetic determinants of virulence (His249Pro NS3 mutation, E-glycosylation motif) were recognized in a WNV lineage 2 strain isolated from a hunter-harvested Eurasian magpie and a nucleotide mismatch was revealed between this strain and a mosquito WNV strain isolated one month earlier in the same area. Conclusions This is the first report regarding exposure of wild birds to WNV prior to the 2010 outbreak, in Greece. Results provide evidence of the implication of wild birds in a local enzootic cycle that could allow maintenance and amplification of the virus before and during the outbreak. Findings of past exposure of migratory birds to WNV upon their arrival in Greece during autumn migration, suggest avian species with similar migration traits as candidates for the introduction of WNV into Greece. The possibility that an endemic circulation of WNV could have caused the outbreak, after an amplification cycle due to favorable conditions cannot be excluded. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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