No abstract

Background: The spread of lineage 2 West Nile virus (WNV) from sub-Saharan regions to Europe and the unpredictable change in pathogenicity indicate a potential public and veterinary health threat and requires scientific awareness.Objectives: To describe the results of clinical and virological investigations of the 1st outbreak of a genetic lineage 2 WNV encephalomyelitis in horses.Animals: Seventeen horses with neurologic signs. Methods: Information regarding signalment, clinical signs, and outcome was obtained for each animal. Serology was performed in 15 cases, clinicopathological examination in 7 cases, and cerebrospinal fluid was collected from 2 horses. Histopathology was carried out in 4 horses, 2 of which were assessed for the presence of WNV in their nervous system.Results: WNV neutralizing antibody titers were between 10 and 270 (median, 90) and the results of other serological assays were in agreement with those of the plaque reduction neutralization test. Common signs included ataxia, weakness, asymmetric gait, muscle tremors, hypersensitivity, cranial nerve deficits, and recumbency. Twelve animals survived. Amplicons derived from the infection-positive specimens allowed molecular characterization of the viral strain.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: From our results, we conclude that this outbreak was caused by a lineage 2 WNV strain, even though such strains often are considered nonpathogenic. Neurological signs and survival rates were similar to those reported for lineage 1 virus infections. The disease occurrence was not geographically limited as had been the typical case during European outbreaks; this report describes a substantial northwestern spread of the pathogen.

No abstract

This retrospective study describes risk/protection factors for the development of clinical West Nile Fever (WNF) in equids, compares clinical presentation in three European countries, France, Italy and Hungary, and creates classification and regression trees (CART) to facilitate clinical diagnosis. The peak of WNF occurrence was observed in September whatever the country. A significant difference between Italy and France was observed in the delay between initial clinical signs and veterinary consultation. No clinical sign was significantly associated with WNF. Despite similar clinical presentations in the three countries, occurrence of hyperthermia was more frequently reported in France. Classification and regression tree demonstrated the major importance of geographical locality and month to reach a diagnosis and emphasized differences in predominant clinical signs depending on the period of detection of the suspected case (epizootic or not). However, definite diagnosis requires specific serological tests. Centralized reporting system and time-space risk mapping should be promoted in every country.

20Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF), a progressive fibrosing interstitial lung