Role of Peridomestic Birds in the Transmission of St. Louis Encephalitis Virus in Southern California

Gruwell, J. A.; Fogarty, Carrie; Bennett, Spencer; Challet, Gilbert L.; Vanderpool, K. S.; Jozan, Martine; Webb, Jon R.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-36.1.13

Cited by 38 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The house sparrow historically has been heavily sampled for arboviruses, perhaps in part because of its abundance and peridomestic occurrence. 23 House sparrows were implicated in the transmission cycles of St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) [24][25][26] and WEEV, 27 and they may serve as useful sentinels for SLEV activity. 28 House sparrows have previously been demonstrated to be competent hosts of WNV, 29,30 and studies in New York City during the initial outbreak concluded that sparrows likely contributed importantly to WNV transmission in that area in 1999.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Pathology of West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected House Sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008

O’Brien¹,

Meteyer²,

Reisen³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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44Gross and microscopic pathology. At necropsy, body condition was scored, the carcasses were examined for external and internal pathology, and brain, spinal cord, liver, spleen, bursa, trachea, lung, heart, kidney, esophagus, proventriculus, ventriculus, pancreas, and intestine were collected for histopathology. Tissues were placed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, trimmed and embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 5 μm, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining on tissues from the sparrow that died in hand (Bird P10, Table 1 ) was performed at

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Pathology of West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected House Sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008

O’Brien¹,

Meteyer²,

Reisen³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…Since extensive avian mortality has been associated with WNV infection in North America, much of this surveillance has concentrated on deadbird testing (16). As demonstrated with other arboviruses, such as St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), eastern equine encephalitis virus, and western equine encephalitis virus, serologic testing of birds represents another tool for further investigating WNV epidemiology (7,8,14).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistence of Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected Rock Pigeons ( Columba livia )

Gibbs

Hoffman

Stark

et al. 2005

Clin Vaccine Immunol

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Wild caught rock pigeons (Columba livia) with antibodies to West Nile virus were monitored for 15 months to determine antibody persistence and compare results of three serologic techniques. Antibodies persisted for the entire study as detected by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and plaque reduction neutralization test. Maternal antibodies in squabs derived from seropositive birds persisted for an average of 27 days.West Nile virus (WNV) (Flaviviridae family, Flavivirus genus) is maintained in a bird-mosquito transmission cycle, and wild bird surveillance has proven effective in tracking the spread of this virus in North America. Since extensive avian mortality has been associated with WNV infection in North America, much of this surveillance has concentrated on deadbird testing (16). As demonstrated with other arboviruses, such as St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), eastern equine encephalitis virus, and western equine encephalitis virus, serologic testing of birds represents another tool for further investigating WNV epidemiology (7,8,14).The duration of the antibody response, test performance, and persistence of maternal antibodies can complicate interpretation of serologic results. Information on the persistence of antibodies to WNV in avian species is currently limited. Experimentally, persistence of neutralizing antibodies to the North American strain of WNV in rock pigeons (Columba livia) was demonstrated over a 9-week period postinoculation and in chickens over a 28-day period postinoculation (9, 11). Pigeons inoculated with an African strain of WNV maintained antibodies for 16 months (12). Recaptured naturally infected wild birds in South Africa with initial WNV antibody titers of Ͼ40 lost demonstrable antibody by hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) in as few as 3 weeks (13).The objectives of this study were the following: (i) to determine the long-term persistence of antibodies to WNV in naturally infected rock pigeons, (ii) to compare the long-term utility of commonly used WNV serologic techniques (plaque reduction neutralization test [PRNT], HAI, and epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]), and (iii) to determine the persistence of maternal antibodies to WNV in squabs derived from these naturally infected birds.Thirty rock pigeons, 20 seropositive for WNV and 10 negative controls, were captured in April 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. All birds were banded and housed in a mosquito-free facility for 60 weeks. Venipuncture was performed on each bird upon entry and at 3-week intervals by wing vein. Serum samples were stored at Ϫ70°C.Using WNV (Georgia isolate DES-107-01) and SLEV (strain TBH-28), PRNTs were performed following standard protocols (1, 10). Titers were expressed as the reciprocal of serum dilutions reducing the number of plaques Ͼ90% (PRNT 90 ). Samples with PRNT 90 titers to WNV which were fourfold greater than titers to SLEV were considered seropositive for WNV. HAI assays were performed at the Florida Department of Health using a published protocol (5). Th...

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“…Blood for antibody testing (0.2 mL) was dispensed immediately into individually labeled tubes containing 1.8 mL phosphate-buffered saline diluent with 0.75% bovine serum albumin, 28 kept on ice packs, and processed at the Orange County laboratory using a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with a baculovirus-Kunjin epitope NS1 recombinant antigen and specific anti-West Nile NS1 monoclonal antibody 3.1112G, 29,30 on heat-inactivated sera. In addition, from August through October 2008, blood (~0.05 mL) from 84 free-ranging birds was added to individually labeled vials containing 1-mL Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium, frozen in the field on dry ice, and evaluated for the presence of active WNV in free-ranging birds by RT-PCR and inoculated Vero and porcine stable equine kidney (PSEK) cell cultures .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Vector-Host Interactions Governing Epidemiology of West Nile Virus in Southern California

Molaei¹,

Cummings²,

Su³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Southern California remains an important focus of West Nile virus (WNV) activity, with persistently elevated incidence after invasion by the virus in 2003 and subsequent amplification to epidemic levels in 2004. Eco-epidemiological studies of vectors-hosts-pathogen interactions are of paramount importance for better understanding of the transmission dynamics of WNV and other emerging mosquito-borne arboviruses. We investigated vector-host interactions and host-feeding patterns of 531 blood-engorged mosquitoes in four competent mosquito vectors by using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting mitochondrial DNA to identify vertebrate hosts of blood-fed mosquitoes. Diagnostic testing by cell culture, real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR, and immunoassays were used to examine WNV infection in blood-fed mosquitoes, mosquito pools, dead birds, and mammals. Prevalence of WNV antibodies among wild birds was estimated by using a blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Analyses of engorged Culex quinquefasciatus revealed that this mosquito species acquired 88.4% of the blood meals from avian and 11.6% from mammalian hosts, including humans. Similarly, Culex tarsalis fed 82% on birds and 18% on mammals. Culex erythrothorax fed on both birds (59%) and mammals (41%). In contrast, Culex stigmatosoma acquired all blood meals from avian hosts. House finches and a few other mostly passeriform birds served as the main hosts for the blood-seeking mosquitoes. Evidence of WNV infection was detected in mosquito pools, wild birds, dead birds, and mammals, including human fatalities during the study period. Our results emphasize the important role of house finches and several other passeriform birds in the maintenance and amplification of WNV in southern California, with Cx. quinquefasciatus acting as both the principal enzootic and “bridge vector” responsible for the spillover of WNV to humans. Other mosquito species, such as Cx. tarsalis and Cx. stigmatosoma, are important but less widely distributed, and also contribute to spatial and temporal transmission of WNV in southern California.

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Role of Peridomestic Birds in the Transmission of St. Louis Encephalitis Virus in Southern California

Cited by 38 publications

References 27 publications

Prevalence and Pathology of West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected House Sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008

Prevalence and Pathology of West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected House Sparrows, Western Nebraska, 2008

Persistence of Antibodies to West Nile Virus in Naturally Infected Rock Pigeons ( Columba livia )

Vector-Host Interactions Governing Epidemiology of West Nile Virus in Southern California

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