West Nile virus outbreak in captive and wild raptors, Czech Republic, 2018

Hubálek, Zdeněk; Tomešek, Martin; Kosina, Marcel; Šikutová, Silvie; Straková, Petra; Rudolf, Ivo

doi:10.1111/zph.12638

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Various owls, eagles and hawks appear to be more susceptible to clinical disease. Of those, Northern goshawks seem especially susceptible to the infection as they have been repeatedly involved in WNV outbreaks, most notably since the emergence of the WNV lineage 2 in Europe [ 25 , 63 , 71 , 81 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For birds of prey, the pathogen is usually detected in the carcasses of birds found dead or moribund through wildlife surveillance programs, raptors admitted to WRC [ 24 ], or following mass mortality events [ 20 ]. One raptor species in Europe that has repeatedly been associated with WNV infection is the Northern goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis ) [ 17 , 18 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The reason for this is unclear, although the increased incidence observed in Northern goshawks ( Accipiter gentilis ) may be associated to the species predation on smaller birds that can also act as a reservoir for WNV, as demonstrated by experimental raptor infection through feeding of WNV-infected prey [ 29 ].…”

Section: Infection and Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gross pathological lesions are more commonly observed in hawks than in owls [ 73 ]. However, gross lesions are infrequent in all raptor species in comparison to clinical signs or histopathological lesions [ 25 , 31 , 45 , 74 ]. The most frequently described macroscopic lesion among WNV-infected birds of prey is emaciation or cachexia characterized by a reduced or a lack of subcutaneous and organ fat deposits and atrophy of pectoral muscles.…”

Section: Clinical Features and Gross Pathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…West Nile virus diagnosis of birds of prey is very useful for WNV surveillance since many species are significantly affected by WNV infection, which may even cause the death of the animals. In fact, WNV circulation can be demonstrated in birds of prey since many species have tested positive for WNV both in North America ( Table 3 ) [ 31 , 61 ] and in Europe ( Table 4 ) [ 25 , 63 , 97 ]. Thus, early WNV detection in raptor clinical cases may trigger surveillance in other animal species, maximizing the possibility of WNV detection, which may be useful when the virus is circulating at low levels.…”

Section: Diagnosis and Surveillancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Birds of Prey in West Nile Virus Epidemiology

et al. 2020

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Reported human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) in Europe increased dramatically in 2018. Lineage 1 strains had been circulating in Euro-Mediterranean countries since the early 1990s. The subsequent introduction of WNV lineage 2 has been responsible for the remarkable upsurge of European WNV outbreaks since 2004, including the dramatic increase in human cases observed since 2018. The virus exists in a natural cycle between mosquitoes and wild birds, with humans and horses acting as dead-end hosts. As the key vertebrate hosts in the transmission cycle of WNV, avian species have been the focus of surveillance across many countries. Raptors appear particularly susceptible to WNV infection, resulting in higher prevalence, and in some cases exhibiting neurological signs that lead to the death of the animal. In addition, birds of prey are known to play an important role as WNV reservoir and potentially amplifying hosts of infection. Importantly, raptor higher susceptibility/prevalence may indicate infection through predation of infected prey. Consequently, they are considered important target species when designing cost-effective surveillance for monitoring both seasonal WNV circulation in endemic countries and its emergence into new areas, where migrating raptors may play a critical role in virus introduction. This review summarizes the different aspects of the current knowledge of WNV infection in birds of prey and evaluates their role in the evolution of the epizootic that is spreading throughout Europe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Infection and Immunitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clinical Features and Gross Pathologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Diagnosis and Surveillancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Birds of Prey in West Nile Virus Epidemiology

et al. 2020

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“…In 2018, we saw the largest increase in the number of human cases in Europe, and the elevated temperatures in the summer and an early spring have been associated with WNV epidemics in Europe [38]. Additionally to the numerous human cases, the virus was detected for the first time in birds in Germany, and a high mortality rate of raptors was reported in the Czech Republic [39,40], indicating the virus spread in Europe as well as the intensity of the epidemics. The whole genome sequences of the WNV detected in the Slovenian patient and mosquitos indicate the virus most likely spread from the north, because of the geographic proximity and because the sequences cluster with the Austrian and Hungarian sequences ( Figure 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

West Nile Virus in Slovenia

Knap

Korva

Ivović

et al. 2020

Viruses

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West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes. Birds are the reservoir for the virus; humans, horses and other mammals are dead-end hosts. Infections caused by WNV in humans can vary from asymptomatic infections to West Nile fever (WNF) or West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). In 1995, a serosurvey was performed in Slovenia on forest workers, and WNV specific IgG antibodies were confirmed in 6.8% of the screened samples, indicating that WNV is circulating in Slovenia. No human disease cases were detected in Slovenia until 2013, when the first case of WNV infection was confirmed in a retrospective study in a 79-year old man with meningitis. In 2018, three patients with WNND were confirmed by laboratory tests, with detection of IgM antibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patients. In one of the patients, WNV RNA was detected in the urine sample. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, a mosquito study was performed in Slovenia. Mosquitoes were sampled on 14 control locations and 35 additional locations in 2019. No WNV was detected in mosquitoes in 2017 and 2019, but we confirmed the virus in a pool of Culex sp. mosquitoes in 2018. The virus was successfully isolated, and complete genome sequence was acquired. The whole genome of the WNV was also sequenced from the patient’s urine sample. The whole genome sequences of the WNV virus detected in Slovenian patient and mosquito indicate the virus most likely spread from the north, because of the geographic proximity and because the sequences cluster with the Austrian and Hungarian sequences. A sentinel study was performed on dog sera samples, and we were able to confirm IgG antibodies in 1.8% and 4.3% of the samples in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Though Slovenia is not a highly endemic country for WNV, we have established that the virus circulates in Slovenia.

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West Nile Virus: From Africa to Europe, America, and Beyond

Petersen¹,

Nett²

2022

Zoonoses: Infections Affecting Humans and Animals

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West Nile virus outbreak in captive and wild raptors, Czech Republic, 2018

Cited by 13 publications

References 16 publications

The Role of Birds of Prey in West Nile Virus Epidemiology

The Role of Birds of Prey in West Nile Virus Epidemiology

West Nile Virus in Slovenia

West Nile Virus: From Africa to Europe, America, and Beyond

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