Clinical West Nile virus infection in 2 horses in western Canada.
Abstract: Two horses had a history of ataxia and weakness or recumbency. One recovered and was diagnosed with West Nile virus (WNV) infection by serologic testing. The other was euthanized; it had meningoencephalomyelitis, WNV was detected by polymerase chain reaction. West Nile virus infection is an emerging disease. Year 2002 is the first year in which cases have been seen in Saskatchewan. Deux chevaux présentaient une histoire d’ataxie et de faiblesse ou de décubitus. Un cheval s’est rétabli et un diagnostic d’infection au virus du Nil occidental (VNO) a été posé par épreuve sérologique. L’autre a été euthanasié; il présentait une méningo-encéphalomyélite, le VNO a été détecté par amplification en chaîne par polymérase. L’infection par le virus du Nil occidental est une maladie émergente. L’année 2002 est la première où des cas ont été observés en Saskatchewan.
Publication Date: 2004-05-18 PubMed ID: 15144104PubMed Central: PMC548617
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Summary
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The research article reports the two cases of West Nile virus infection in horses located in Western Canada, with the year 2002 being the first time such cases were observed in Saskatchewan.
Objective of the Study
- The primary aim of this study was to explore and report the first instances of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in horses in western Canada specifically in Saskatchewan in 2002.
Observations and Findings
- The research focused on two horses that displayed symptoms of weakness, ataxia (loss of control over bodily movements), or recumbency (inability to rise).
- One horse recovered from these symptoms, and upon further serologic testing – a diagnosis technique that measures and compares the levels of antibodies in a patient’s blood – was confirmed to be infected with WNV.
- The other horse, however, was not so fortunate, and ended up being euthanized because of its critical health condition.
- The euthanized horse was found to be suffering from meningoencephalomyelitis, a type of inflammation that simultaneously affects the brain (encephalitis) and spinal cord (myelitis).
- The presence of WNV in this horse was confirmed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) – a method widely used in molecular biology to make multiple copies of a specific DNA segment.
Implications and Conclusions
- These were the first recorded cases of WNV infections in horses in Saskatchewan, marking it as an emerging disease in this region during that time.
- The study is crucial as it brings awareness to the presence and potential spread of the West Nile virus in the horse populations of Western Canada, indicating that more comprehensive surveillance and prevention strategies might be required in these areas.
Cite This Article
APA
Abutarbush SM, O'Connor BP, Clark C, Sampieri F, Naylor JM.
(2004).
Clinical West Nile virus infection in 2 horses in western Canada.
Can Vet J, 45(4), 315-317.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4. sameeh75@hotmail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Central Nervous System / pathology
- Central Nervous System / virology
- Diagnosis, Differential
- Euthanasia, Animal
- Fatal Outcome
- Female
- Gait Ataxia / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horses
- Male
- Saskatchewan / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / diagnosis
- West Nile Fever / epidemiology
- West Nile Fever / veterinary
- West Nile virus / isolation & purification
References
This article includes 9 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Marka A, Diamantidis A, Papa A, Valiakos G, Chaintoutis SC, Doukas D, Tserkezou P, Giannakopoulos A, Papaspyropoulos K, Patsoula E, Badieritakis E, Baka A, Tseroni M, Pervanidou D, Papadopoulos NT, Koliopoulos G, Tontis D, Dovas CI, Billinis C, Tsakris A, Kremastinou J, Hadjichristodoulou C, Vakalis N, Vassalou E, Zarzani S, Zounos A, Komata K, Balatsos G, Beleri S, Mpimpa A, Papavasilopoulos V, Rodis I, Spanakos G, Tegos N, Spyrou V, Dalabiras Z, Birtsas P, Athanasiou L, Papanastassopoulou M, Ioannou C, Athanasiou C, Gerofotis C, Papadopoulou E, Testa T, Tsakalidou O, Rachiotis G, Bitsolas N, Mamouris Z, Moutou K, Sarafidou T, Stamatis K, Sarri K, Tsiodras S, Georgakopoulou T, Detsis M, Mavrouli M, Stavropoulou A, Politi L, Mageira G, Christopoulou V, Diamantopoulou G, Spanakis N, Vrioni G, Piperaki ET, Mitsopoulou K, Kioulos I, Michaelakis A, Stathis I, Tselentis I, Psaroulaki A, Keramarou M, Chochlakis D, Photis Y, Konstantinou M, Manetos P, Tsobanoglou S, Mourelatos S, Antalis V, Pergantas P, Eleftheriou G. West Nile virus state of the art report of MALWEST Project.. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2013 Dec 2;10(12):6534-610.
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